‘RED CARD’ MADE ME CRY, STRONGER – ‘SWAZI BOLT’

MBABANE – It was his motivation to break his earlier national record in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 semi-finals of the 200 metres sprint.

In his earlier heat in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, Sibusiso ‘Swazi Bolt’ Matsenjwa was disqualified for a false start, which meant his participation was impossible afterwards and he just had to wait for the plane back home from Japan. However, his coach and other Eswatini officials appealed his disqualification immediately and about 10 minutes he was back in the race to pursue his dream of reaching the semi-finals. “When I got the red card I didn’t know what to do. I was so confused in a way that I just took my stuff and cried. I was then later called back, that was my second chance which made me run with enthusiasm,” said Matsenjwa.

He explained that for some moment his mind was back here at home thinking about all the emaSwati who had woken up early to watch him race only to give them a false start and disqualification. “All the people I knew were supporting me came to mind at that moment. When I learnt that I was going to be allowed back into the race, I felt better and told myself second chances are rare so I grabbed it with both hands and gave it all I could,” he said. He said that upon being allowed back, he used that frustration to motivate himself and ran with that anger as his strength and in the end, “I was 0.12 seconds away from the finals”. “I got to qualify for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games after my fifth-place finish and 11th ranking in the world which will improve my overall world ranking,” he responded on national radio, Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS) yesterday morning where his coach Muzi Mabuza was also interviewed.

Rankings

Matsenjwa also confirmed that he moved from 108th to 11th in the rankings, while he is third in Africa in the 200 metres. He will now be the country’s flag bearer in the closing ceremony on Sunday and will remain there alongside Chef De Mission Pearl Dlamini. His coach, Muzi Mabuza said Eswatini athletes needed to compete against the best athletes in the world. “Matsenjwa’s performance was so amazing and it gave us hope. He was short of 0.12 seconds to make it to the finals but we are very happy about how he competed,” said Mabuza. He said he told Matsenjwa to work harder to achieve his goal while also voicing out their utmost appreciation to the nation for the positive support in the games.

Meanwhile, the country’s National Commissioner of police  William Dlamini has also come out to congratulate the athlete who is also a police officer alongside the rest of the athletes who represented the country in the prestigious games. “Matsenjwa will arrive next Wednesday then on Thursday he will be called to the Police Headquarters for congratulatory purposes on the great work he has done for the country,”  said Dlamini. He also said they would honor him with a ‘certificate of recognition for being outstanding’ in the Olympic Games. Dlamini shared that they would also support Matsenjwa with everything he needs.

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