When Gqeberha sprinter Buhle Mgqibela sticks her number onto her green-and-gold vest at the Cucsa Games in Botswana on Sunday it will be the culmination of a childhood dream.
“It is a huge honour and something I have worked hard towards,” the 19-year-old marketing student, who will compete in the 4x100m relay, said shortly before departure.
She is joined by Madibaz chess star Osia Phokela, who will also make his debut for the national student team.
“It is an honour to be selected,” the 24-year-old BCom student said after being named in the Ussa team for the very first time.
The prestigious multisport event, which falls under the umbrella of the Confederation of University and College Sports Associations, takes place in Gaborone from June 28 to July 5.
It brings together leading student-athletes from across the southern African region.
Mgqibela, who described the team’s mood as “highly determined and willing to do whatever it takes”, believes the relay quartet can challenge for the podium.
She is particularly looking forward to the challenge of being pushed beyond her comfort zone, admitting that it is the “level of competition that makes athletics enjoyable and rewarding” for her.
Madibaz sprinter Buhle Mgqibela is a member of the Ussa squad that will take part in the Cucsa Games in Gaborone, Botswana, from June 28 to July 5. Photo: Supplied
Given her form this season, during which she qualified for both the junior and senior South African championships, there is every chance that the Eastern Province U20 and senior 100m champion will play an important part in the final outcome.
In preparation, Mgqibela has focused as much on the mental side of things as the physical, both important elements when aiming to achieve on the academic and sports fronts simultaneously.
Phokela, in the second year of his studies at Mandela University, regards the Games as one of the highlights of his chess career and, like Mgqibela, he welcomes the opportunity to compete at a level he is yet to experience.
He is confident that his rapid recent growth will serve him well and hopes he can “produce the best performance I can” when it counts.
Strong competition from within the Madibaz ranks is the number one reason he has been able to excel over the past 12 months.
“They have played a huge role in my improvement,” Phokela, who also entered numerous local tournaments to get competition-ready, said.