Mikia Kalati
MARATHONER Motlokoa Nkhabutlane has revealed that he will be taking part in the Valencia Marathon scheduled for 1 December this year as he looks to improve on his fourth-place finish at the Rome, in Italy Marathon in April this year.
Nkhabutlane said despite nursing an injury since April this year, he is raring to go having recently started preparing for the race to be held in Spain.
The 33-year-old runner said his goal is to continue improving and to rewrite the history books of athletics in the country.
Nkhabutlane also came eighth at the Paris Marathon in 2017 to break a 26-year-old national record set by Thabiso Moqhali at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games where he won gold.
“It’s been a while without a competition but I will be running in Spain in December at the Valencia marathon on the same day as the High-Altitude Summer race here at home,” Nkhabutlane said.
“I have been struggling with an injury and was supposed to have gone for the Amsterdam Marathon in Holland in November but pulled out because of lack of fitness.
“I have just started my training but I’m feeling good and sharp for the race in Spain.”
The marathon golden boy said he is in good shape and is confident he will do well in Spain.
“I’m feeling very good and fresh because I have been out with injury for some time.
“I have started training here at home but I go to Durban every three weeks to meet my coach as well as doing the medical assessment with the physiotherapist and doctors based there.”
He also confirmed that he has his eyes set on representing his country at the 2020 Olympics to be staged in Tokyo, Japan.
The long-distance runner earlier this year pulled out of the Lesotho team for the Gold Coast Commonwealth games saying the Lesotho Armature Athletics Association (LAAA) and the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) failed to meet his needs.
“I do not think I will run in any race locally any time soon. That can only be a reality maybe after the 2020 Olympics but as you know there are still a lot of pending issues to be resolved. We will see how it goes.
“I do not know how the preparations will be for Tokyo but if they (LAAA and LNOC) address all those issues for the athletes then I hope to represent the country in Japan.
“Nothing has been discussed but I would be happy to represent my country in Tokyo if they meet our needs,” Nkhabutlane said.
