The only female member of Team Botswana brings home two bronze medals from Rwanda, contributing considerably to Botswana’s position 13 at Africa Taekwondo Championships in Kigali
Gazette Reporter
Karabo Kula perfomed exceptionally well at the recent Africa Taekwondo Championships held in Kigali, Rwanda last week.
Kula was the only woman in a quartet that comprised herself and three males – Kitso Molaodi (male 54kg), Wardell (Male -68kgs) and Ernest Samotshozo (male 74kg) – that competed in various age categories under the tutelage of Coach Gladys Njoroge.
Botswana’s first taekwondo medalist
Kula, won two bronze medals to become the only medallist on Team Botswana.
Her first medal was in the females Under 30 years where she was knocked out in the semis by her Kenyan opponent. She went on to fight in the ladies Under 49kg where she won against Burundi and Ghana but lost to Egypt to scoop another bronze medal.
“I am very proud of myself and am thankful to my coach and teammates for their massive support throughout,” said Kula.
Kula needs more training camps
She added, “I have already started preparations for the Olympic qualifiers but I need more exposure in order for me to make more history by becoming the first taekwondo athlete in Botswana to qualify for the Olympics,” Kula said.
For her part, coach Njoroge said “I am happy that all of them won their first matches and proceeded to the next stage,” she noted.
“It was very important for our team to compete in these games because it contributes towards their rankings prior to the Olympics. We finished in position 13 out of 40 countries, which I believe truly reflects progress and improvement within our team.”