Ithembelihle LSEN School shone at this year’s 60th National Championship Games held at Germiston Stadium and Birchwood Hotel from March 18 to 23.

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South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled is an organisation that was established in 1962 as the South African paraplegic games association and catered for people with spinal cord injuries.

Since then it has grown and offers sports events for people with a variety of disabilities including visual impairments, cerebral palsy and amputees.

Every year the games are held in different provinces.

This year Gauteng was the host of the games and the events that took place included boccia, athletics, goalball, CP soccer, judo, weightlifting, and paracycling.

Ten learners from Ithembelihle qualified to take part in the 60th National Championship Games.

Six qualified in athletics and participated in events at the Germiston Stadium and four participated in boccia, which was hosted at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.

Khanya Xundu, (17) obtained two gold medals for shot-put and javelin, breaking the South African record for class F55 males u-20 with a distance of 17.66m.

Awodwa Gigaba (16) obtained a silver for shotput and a bronze for javelin.

Thato Nkobore (16) obtained gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m.

Hope Mathenjwa (16) obtained gold in the 200m.

Njabulo Mzenene (17) obtained silver in the 200m.

Amogelang Molakeng (13) competing for the first time at the national level was awarded gold for boccia teams and a silver medal for the individual game.

Tebogo Maseko (21) obtained a silver medal for the individual game and a bronze for the boccia teams.

Sandile Mncube, (19) won gold for the boccia teams while Mduduzi Nhlapho (17) celebrated bronze for the boccia teams.

Coaches Claude Mulungwa (athletics, throws) and Gracious Kekana (boccia) said they are proud of what they have achieved at the games.

“We hope to get more learners involved in sports and also parents in the development of the learners. We are also hoping for more sponsors to aid the smooth running of all the sporting codes in the school and to ensure better performance from the athletes,” said Mulungwa.

He said sports for the learners at the school is a big part of their lives.

“We dream of seeing our learners play on world stages one day such as the Paralympic Games. We aim to offer the learners an avenue outside academics that can be explored and still offer them a life purpose and possible escape from economic inequality,” said Mulungwa.

The coach said sport means and offers different things to different people of different ranks and classes but for the people living with physical disabilities, it may be the ticket to societal reintegration, a way of making a living for themselves, and creating a social life bubble.

“Sport for the physically disabled gives a purpose and hope to many and restores faith in some,” said Mulungwa