Mohlakeng’s Tshiamo Molefe is currently in Italy and representing the country in the 7th Giochi De Fri-Colore basketball games taking place until July 30.
This comes after she was selected to be part of the U16 Gauteng team following her outstanding performance at the OR Tambo Soncini Games recently where she was representing the West Rand team.
The 14-year-old is a learner at Phahama Senior Secondary School in Mohlakeng and is currently in Grade Nine.
She expressed that she always loved sports and is happy to be playing basketball.
“I started basketball in June last year and it’s been amazing and definitely life-changing. I’ve always loved sports and basketball in particular. This is because I can truly be myself when playing the sport and my teammates are also accommodating and I also enjoy teamwork. My mom and I were initially at loggerheads because she didn’t get my passion, but she eventually came around and is supporting me fully,” said Tshiamo, who added that this will be her first international trip.
According to her, a lot of people didn’t initially warm up to the idea of her playing basketball as a female, as it is usually associated with her male counterparts. This is now a thing of the past.
The Randfontein Herald also spoke to her coach, Tebogo Letsholonyana, who heads the Mohlakeng Flames Basketball team, and said that working with Tshiamo has been a pleasure.
“Tshiamo is very opinionated but also extremely talented on the court. This made it easy for me to teach her the sport. I’m very happy for her and what she has achieved. This shows we are doing something right as a team,” added Tebogo.
Meanwhile, Tshiamo’s mother, Boitumelo Chabedi, is also over the moon that her daughter’s persistence has yielded positive results.
She added that she is thrilled about her achievements and wishes her nothing but the best going forward. She said that her perception of the sport has fully changed and that she supports her daughter all the way.
