Kenosi breaks down, quits camp
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday May 25, 2024 06:00
Kenosi engraved her name in history books when she became the first female boxer in Botswana to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She told MmegiSport that during the camp, conditions were bad and she spent days crying. “I have long told them that I needed a break but they kept forcing me to train and stay in camp. I could not step into the ring when I could not focus,” she said. Kenosi said she needs a break from boxing, but if she makes a comeback, it would not be for the national team but for professional boxing. “The camp was depressing, no visits were allowed even from family members or even to go out of camp. We did not even have access to entertainment; it was all about training and sleeping. I was forced to train a lot in order to lose weight. It was draining,” she said. Kenosi added since the camp started in January, they were only given two days' break after each competition.
Kenosi’s coach, Thebe Setlalekgos,i said Kenosi has a serious mental problem, which is a challenge faced by many athletes. “Even before she won a gold medal at the 2019 African Games, we were struggling to get her to train. Her body is tired, she has been active for the past 10 years without a break. Boxing is a painful sport, there are issues like dropping weight. She has been struggling and right now she has broken down. We should let her go, recover, and she will come back when she is ready,” he said. Setlalekgosi is confident that before the end of the year, Kenosi will be back in action.
He explained that one of the issues that affect athletes’ mental health is that they are unemployed and depend on camp allowances, which are not enough to sustain their living. “Let us leave the conditions of the camp. Kenosi has a serious mental breakdown. As her coach for the past 10 years, I have long picked that up and I have been pushing her. We have now reached a point where I cannot push her further,” he said. Setlalekgosi stated that Kenosi has not retired and plans are underway for her to receive assistance. He said athletes have access to a psychologist but that does not help because the root of the problem is not being solved. Meanwhile, the Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) president, Gilbert Khunwane, poured water on Kenosi’s claims. “What we know is that she wanted to take a break. She had a tendency of bringing friends to camps but that was not a problem. It only became a challenge when the so-called friends stayed in the room that she shared with another athlete. The roommate would wait for hours outside as she gave Kenosi a chance to catch up with her friends. Camp rules do not condone this kind of behaviour. Even when family members visit, they are not supposed to go into athletes' rooms,” he said.
Khunwane said Kenosi had a problem with weight until she was elevated from 57kg to 60kg. He said even during the recent Mandela Cup, she was fighting in the 60kg category and was to fight in the same weight division during the second world boxing qualifiers in Thailand. Khunwane said Kenosi is out of camp and the national boxing team has left for the second Olympic qualifiers in Thailand, to be held from May 24 until June 2. A total of 51 remaining Paris 2024 Olympic quota places (23 for women and 28 for men) would be up for grabs across 13 Olympic boxing weight categories (six for women and seven for men). “All it takes to be a good athlete is to obey the rules of the sport. I wish her well and I believe one day she will come back more determined to win medals,” Khunwane said.