17 Mar 2025

The Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) has finalised its selection of senior national team that will take part in regional and continental championships.

Senior karatekas rounded their preparations for the national team slots in three-legged point system matches at the Thebephatshwa Multipurpose training hall on Saturday. Prior to the final match, BOKA hosted the north and south qualifiers where medalists from these two tournaments converged to battle for national honours.

In an interview on the sidelines of the final round tournament, BOKA vice president-technical, Sensei Union Kgafela said they were happy with preparations leading to the final round of national selections. He said they were to call into camp a pool of athletes who would participate in national team assignments lined up for the coming months.

The team, which was yet to be called into camp, would first travel to Durban, South Africa for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 karate championships in the last weekend of May, before travelling to Abuja, Nigeria for the closely contested African Karate Federation championships.

Meanwhile, the Saturday tournament lived up to its expectations, producing a tight affair at the end. In the individual female kata, Centy Kgosikoma of Thebephatshwa Airbase Club reproduced her past form to inch past her closest competitors in the mould of the on form duo of SSKB Karate Club’s Lesego Masimola and Lethabo Sekano. Veteran kata champion Lame Hetanang came forth.

The SSKB ladies team kata dusted themselves and scooped position one in the team’s event. Thebephatshwa club reigned supreme in individual kata as Kutlo Thomas was crowned overall champion in the male kata category beating the likes of Setso Sebina, Bofelo Daniel and Thebe Duna.

The Valley Karate Club trio of Duna, Louis Madibela and Thabang Modise emerged victorious in the male team kata beating their closest rivals SSKB champions.
SSKB won the team kumite class for both female and male.

In the individual kumite category Modise beat Lame Stock in the final fight to scoop the title while the female under 55kg was won by Gaone Mothoyomotona. In the male under 70kg, Dan Botlhomile of Pro Fitness shocked SSKB club’s Gofaone Mosupiemang for the first spot while Prince Ngwako who had a successive preliminary round settled for the third spot.

Hetanang scooped the female individual kumite under 61kg beating Oratile Nkhumisang in the final match. ENDS