02 Aug 2023

 Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) has selected 20 players for a training camp that will be held during the school holidays. Players were selected during the Phoenix Assurance Junior and Hopes Contenders tournament held on Saturday.

In an interview, BTTA public relations officer, Tshegofatso Malepa said during the training camp, the U-15 table tennis national team, alias Diteemane, would be selected to represent Botswana at the Southern Africa Hopes and Junior Championships billed for Windhoek, Namibia in September.

On the weekend tournament, Malepa said the Junior Hopes and Contender was an important event in the table tennis calendar as it focused on nurturing and showcasing exceptional young talent.

She said the tournament served as a platform for emerging athletes to display their skills, determination and passion as well as getting an opportunity to grow.

“The tournament was a great success as it has provided young talent with a platform to showcase the basic skills that they have acquired,” she said.

She said the tournament, held at Baobab Primary School, attracted 80 boys and girls under the age of 15 from nine teams across Botswana. The duo of Reneilwe Lekorwe of Smash Maniacs and Masa Motlhabane of Maikano dominated the competition in both the U-12 and U-15 categories where they displayed exceptional skills and proved their mettle.

Lekorwe had over the years dominated the boys’ category and proved to be a rising star in table tennis and the sport’s future light bearer. In the boys U-12 category finals, Lekorwe convincingly defeated Alista Goche of Joyland 3-0. He continued his dominance in the U-15 category registering another final victory after beating Lefa Tsiaka of Maikano 3-0.

On the other hand, Motlhabane outclassed her opponents in the girls U-12 and U-15 categories. In the U-12 category, dedicated and hardworking Motlhabane defeated her teammate, Tshegofatso Buisanyang by 3-0.

However, Motlhabane missed a double by a whisker after losing 0-2 to her other teammate, Lillian Tsiaka in the semifinals.

Another final match of the U-15 girls’ category saw a thriller encounter between the Tsiaka sisters, Lillian and Gabriella where the former proved that her win in the semifinals against Motlhabane was not by fluke as she defeated her sister, Gabriella 3-2 in a close contest. ENDS