…as former record holder backs new sprint king to do better
Leemisa Thuseho
FORMER Lesotho sprint star, Mosito Lehata, believes Mojela Koneshe’s finest performances are still ahead of him after the 25-year-old shattered the long-standing national men’s 100-metre record at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Koneshe wrote his name into Lesotho’s athletics history when he clocked an impressive time of 10.07 seconds in the heats, eclipsing the national record of 10.11 seconds that Lehata had held since 2015.
The performance marked a major breakthrough for Koneshe, who is competing at his second Commonwealth Games. He made his debut in Birmingham in 2022, where he ran 10.46 seconds but failed to progress beyond the heats.
However, Koneshe narrowly missed out on a place in the men’s 100m final after finishing fifth in his semi-final in 10.19 seconds on Tuesday. The race was contested in wet conditions, which slowed the athletes after heavy rain at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Despite falling short of the final, Koneshe’s campaign in the blue-riband event will be remembered for his historic record-breaking run of 10.07 seconds in the heats, which made him the fastest man in Lesotho’s history.
Koneshe also competed in 200m yesterday where he settled for third position in the heats with 21.03 and could not progress to the nest stage.
Although Koneshe has succeeded him as Lesotho’s fastest man over 100 metres, Lehata says he could not be happier to see the record broken.
Lehata has played a significant role in Koneshe’s development, having coached him several years ago. Koneshe has also frequently described Lehata as one of his biggest role models.
Speaking to the Lesotho Times this week, Lehata said he had always known Koneshe possessed the ability to rewrite the record books.
“I am very proud of Mojela,” Lehata said.
“I was training him about five years ago and I knew the potential he had. I told him that he must raise the bar high.
“The better he does, the more motivation it will give to those coming after him.”
Lehata believes the new national record will not stand for long, insisting Koneshe still has plenty of room for improvement.
“I still believe he will lower it again. He is on the right track and is doing a very good job with his current coaches.”
Koneshe is currently based in Potchefstroom, South Africa, where he trains full-time. However, Lehata believes greater international exposure would help him unlock even more of his potential.
“He also needs our support and more competitions. I have always said that if he had the opportunity to train in Europe and compete regularly against the best athletes in the world, he could have broken the record even earlier.
“He needs that exposure because it will help him improve even more. He is not at his peak yet. When he reaches 27 or 28 years old, he will be at his peak, so I believe his best is still to come,” Lehata said.
