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Leemisa Thuseho
FRESH from winning the 2024 African Bank Soweto Marathon, Olympian, Neheng Khatala, is back on the road this weekend.
She is poised to compete in the Hollywoodbets Joburg 10km race in South Africa’s commercial capital.
The race will kick off at Corlett Drive, Illovo, outside Wanderers Cricket Stadium with the finish line at James and Ethel Grey Park in Melrose.
Just last Sunday, Khatala emerged triumphant in the 42.2km women’s category of the 2024 African Bank Soweto Marathon with a time of 2:43:07.
This Sunday, she will run her last race of the season and aims to end things on a high note.
Her goal this season was to bag three races, and she has already clinched two: the recent Soweto Marathon and the Durban 10km race in a time of 32:25 on September 29, 2024.
“My next race is the Hollywood 10km in Johannesburg,” Khatala told the Lesotho Times this week.
“This is one of the races I want to win. If I win, I will have three wins this season, which was part of the plan for this year.”
Despite failing to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, Khatala believes she had a successful run this season.
She is currently a sports science student at the North-West University also in South Africa; and has successfully balanced her studies with sports. But she does admit it has not been a walk in the park juggling the two.
“It is challenging being a full-time student while pursuing my running career, but I manage because I make time for both,” Khatala said.
Meanwhile, Lesotho’s top male marathoner, Tebello Ramakongoana, has also confirmed his participation in the Hollywoodbets Joburg 10km on Sunday.
The first male and female finishers will each receive M37,500, with M30,000 awarded to second place and M27,500 to third.
