Lesotho marathon record holder, Tebello Ramakongoana, is ready to make his Olympic debut next week Saturday, according to his coach, James McKirdy. Ramakongoana is enjoying a wonderful run of form, which started last March when he won the Durban Marathon before he set a new national half marathon record a few months later with a run of 1:00:35 hours at the Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon in Gqeberha, South Africa. His form continued in August when he finished fourth in the marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest in a personal best time of 2:09:57. 2024 has been …
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In February, the 27-year-old set a new Lesotho marathon record of 2:08:09 hours at the Osaka Marathon before winning the Lilac Bloomsday Run in Spokane, Washington, in May.
McKirdy believes the Qacha’s Nek-born athlete is in the best shape of his career and is relishing his running.
He said the Paris marathon will be challenging for all athletes due to its difficult terrain but he backed Ramakongoana’s background from a mountainous country to give him an advantage.
McKirdy estimates that there are about 450 metres of elevation gain throughout the Olympic marathon course, and while the competitors are professional runners, they are generally not used to such conditions.
“The road is rough in many locations as they are climbing in terms of metres of elevation,” McKirdy said.
“(But Ramakongoana) is from a mountain town of elevation and has trained with my team for the last four and a half months on similar terrain. We were able to train on routes very similar to the Paris course, and along the way, he set national records at 5 kilometres, 12 km, and 21 km,” the coach added.
McKirdy said Ramakongoana may not set a national record on the challenging Olympic course but is confident in the runner’s fitness and preparation.
“He is the fittest he has ever been. He has proven it. I trust that he is prepared for the course because of the training we have done,” he said.
Despite the usual nerves before an Olympic debut, McKirdy says Ramakongoana is running with love and joy.
He is one of three athletes representing Lesotho at the Paris Olympics and hopes to make history as the first Mosotho to win an Olympic medal.
Taekwondo star Michelle Tau, competing in the women’s flyweight 49kg category, will begin her Olympic competition next Wednesday while Mokulubete Makatise will take part in the women’s marathon on Sunday.
“I feel he is training and running with love and joy. He is having fun, and it’s not to the point that it’s debilitating,” McKirdy said
“I have seen athletes break down even at smaller races due to anxiety and worry, but he doesn’t have that mentality. He is happy, having fun, and relaxed. Sure, there are nerves, but it’s not unnatural, and I think there is excitement inside any nerves he has,” he added.
McKirdy added that Paris is a dream for Ramakongoana, who first heard about the Olympics during the Rio 2016 Games. Although he did not qualify for Tokyo, he has shown steady improvement, including taking the lead at last year’s World Championships in Budapest before finishing just outside the medals.
Now Ramakongoana is headed for the global stage of the Olympic Games for the first time.
“He said that’s not the plan; the plan is to settle. He wasn’t ready to win that race; he was ready to finish in the top five. He is ready for an Olympic effort,” McKirdy said.
