CARLOTA, MFANAWEKHAYA FOR WORLD CHAMPS

MBABANE – Eswatini’s World Taekwondo Championships squad is no longer a secret.

 The Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) has revealed two artists to represent the country on the biggest stage. This 26^th edition will be staged in Asia in Baku, Azerbaijan. It will run from May 29to June 4 at the Baku Crystal Hall. Carlota ‘Lota’ Munave will be competing in the women +73kg category. It will be her third appearance as she has represented the country during the 2015 and 2017 global showdowns.

“I ‘m  hoping to put on the best performance, at most win a fight. It will be a very tough competition where everybody will bring their best game. Despite that it has been quite some time of inactiveness, I do have some confidence drawn from the bronze medal I brought home last from African championships,” ‘Lota’ said. 

Meanwhile, Mfanawekhaya Dube will be hoping to make the country proud in the men category. He eyes to dish out some top performance in the -54kg as he makes his second appearance after debuting in 2017. They will be under the guidance of the country’s 2023 Outstanding Coach Mancoba Motsa. Motsa was named the country’s finest coach in March following his 10 medal haul from two regional tournaments dating back to 2021. They are set to leave the country on Sunday. The battle lines of the tournament will be drawn on the July 29.  

 “We are hoping that they will represent the country well because it will not be their maiden appearance in the championships.  We hope that the experience they have will come in handy and help them win against their opponents. They have had enough time doing preparations and it is now time to display what they have been practising through some performances,” ETF Secretary Sizwe Mabuza said. Mabuza had confidence on the pair by virtue of their ability to conquer inlocal tournaments. He hoped that the games would also assist them towards the Paris 2024 Games qualifications.  Sought for comment, Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) Marketing and Communications Officer Mkhulisi Dlamini had faith that Munave and Dube would make the country proud.

“We are extremely impressed with the current preparations and progress EOCGA has done in terms of assisting athletes and associations with regard to attending and participating in their international competitions. Each decision to assist is highly based on the background knowledge of the athletes in terms of their ability to perform at the highest level in order to achieve podium finish,” Dlamini said.

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