UEDF’S SIKHUMBUZO WINS KWAMAGOGO LEGACY RUN

MANZINI – They were the ultimate winners of the annual KwaMagogo 10km Legacy Race/Walk held yesterday in Manzini.

Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) athlete Sikhumbuzo Sihlongonyane and South Africa-born Zeferinah Marinho proved invincible on the road yesterday after winning the male and female category, respectively. The UEDF athlete led from start to finish while pursuing him closely was Kwazulu-Natal athlete Sibusiso Kubheka. Sihlongonyane cruised to victory from the onset and rather looked unshaken despite Kubheka breathing heavily down his neck.
The most defining factors were the steep hills along the race route, where the champion made his intentions of winning the race became clear.

The two runners were neck and neck for almost half of the race and it was on the final steep hill towards the finish line where the UEDF athlete displayed agility and perseverance to convincingly shake off the KZN runner. Sihlongonyane clocked 28:28 minutes. His closest challenger Kubeka arrived at the winning point in 28:57 minutes.

champion excited

The 2019 KwaMagogo champion expressed his excitement after his victory, mentioning that he had a smooth run.
“I’m very happy to have won but I must say that it was all through hard work. The cold weather was a bit hectic before the race started but that was not enough to stop me. My colleagues and I always train together and often in more challenging circumstances. In all honesty, the second place finisher motivated me to push even harder because I could not stand defeat,” said Sihlongonyane.

Zeferinah Marinho was crowned the queen of the road, clocking 37:23 minutes after outfoxing Eswatini’s TZD athlete Sithembile Nzalo, who arrived only five seconds later. Despite losing the champion’s crown, Nzalo said she was quite impressed with her performance. The 21km runner complained about the chilly weather but felt content with the end result, hoping for a better finish in her next race.

800 people participated

The level of competition was sky high and some runners had to quit along the route and thanks to paramedics’ services that were readily available to assist those who could not push themselves any further. Phela Live Gym crew also took care of some runners who needed first aid at the finish line. About 800 people participated in the race.

The champions pocketed E1 500 each and the runner-ups walked home E1 000 richer. Third, fourth and fifth-place winners in both the male and female categories each pocketed E800, E400 and E250, respectively.

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