Shoes needed for his running-dream
Chuene Malatji, a 17-year-old athlete from Moletjie competes barefoot as he cannot afford to put his dreams on hold for the sake of shoes
LIMPOPO – “I do not want to be pitied. When I finally get proper running shoes, I will make sure that I prove that they were not wasted on me.”
These are the sentiments of Chuene Malatji, a 17-year-old athlete from Moletjie. He has been an athlete since the age of nine and was introduced to athletics by his older brother. As a kid, he would go with his brother when he went to train and sometimes even joined in when he did exercises. “As time went on, my brother saw the potential that I had and suggested that I start competing in school athletics. I would win the competitions but there was no fulfillment in it as I would win and it would just end there. There was nothing to show for it,” he said.
Chuene continued to compete throughout primary and high school but did not have the proper guidance to propel him to bigger competitions. In March this year, the owner of Balamolele Athletics Club, Herry Lamola, saw his potential and took him under his wing. “Coach is a good guy, he is different from other coaches. He does the exercises that he makes us do with us, which shows us that he knows what he is doing,” he explained.
Chuene used to to be an avid soccer player but his love for athletics surpassed his love for soccer and he decided to dedicate his time and focus into athletics. “I had a fear that I would get injured on the soccer field and would not be able to compete in marathons or stand the chance to make a name for myself on the long distance running circuit,” he said. He is inspired by Caster Semenya who he said is proof that anything is possible if you really want it. This is especially important for him as he comes from a rural area without exposure to most opportunities.
Despite his dreams of becoming a professional athlete being within reach, he is still faced with an uphill battle. He does not have a sponsor and cannot afford basic necessities like proper running shoes. He is sometimes forced to compete barefoot as he cannot afford to put his dreams on hold for the sake of shoes. He can be reached through his coach Herry Lamola at 079 160 0314.
