When 19-year-old Thabang Moeketsane from Moletsane in Soweto joined the High Performance Centre, a sporting facility at the University of Pretoria, in 2003 his dream was to be part of the South African swimming squad to take part in the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
Moeketsane started swimming when he was seven at the Moletsane public pool. Then, his dream was to become a professional lifesaver not a professional swimmer.
This week he was part of the 18-member Swimming South Africa’s preliminary Olympic squad that left for Japan on Thursday to undergo intensive training ahead of the International Swim Meeting in Tokyo from August 21 to 24.
Moeketsane has come a long way to be where he is. He could not train or get lessons every day because the Moletsane swimming pool was not heated.
”I would go for lessons only between September and March. When I was 13 I realised I was capable of achieving things in swimming and that is when I started entering competitions and that is where Swimming South Africa identified my talent,” said Moeketsane.
When he was given an opportunity by Swimming South Africa through its ”learn to swim” programme to get intensive training at the High Performance Centre, he dived at the chance and has not looked back.
”I am a second away from qualifying for the Beijing Olympics and I’m going to work very hard to achieve my goal to be part of that squad,” he told the Mail & Guardian. If he does, he will become the first black swimmer to represent South Africa at the Olympics.
Swimming South Africa head coach Dirk Lange believes Moeketsane can do it. ”All he needs to do is to train very hard and focus in the Olympic qualifiers, which will be held in April 2008.”
Moeketsane specialises in 100m, 200m breaststroke, as well as the 4x100m medley relay. He made a name for himself when he came second during the 2004 Commonwealth Games in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, won a silver medal in the 2005 short-course competition in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, won a silver medal in the 2007 All Africa Games in the 50m breaststroke, a bronze medal in the 100m event and a gold medal in the 4x100m medley relay.
”Our young swimmers have the perfect platform to put their swimming skills to the test at the highest level and to get an understanding of the swimming set-up in Asia ahead of next year’s Olympic Games,” said Swimming South Africa’s general manager (athletes’ development), Rushdee Warley.
”The trip to Japan is the next step up following the success of the swimmers at the All-Africa Games held in Algeria last month. The fact that the athletes will be able to train and get used to the climate in Osaka for 10 days before the swim meeting in Tokyo will be of great advantage to our swimmers,” said Warley.
Moeketsane will compete in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events, as well as in the 4x100m medley relay team.
He will be up against top swimmers from Australia and the United States.
”Thabang is not in the squad because of his colour,; he is there because he deserves to be there. He needs not to worry that much about this competition; the big one is next year in April – the Olympic trials,” said his coach.