TOP marathoner, Khoarahlane Seutloali who made his maiden appearance at the Olympic Games in 2020, is currently preparing for the 2022 Paris Olympics slated for July 26 – August 11 in France.

As part of his preparation for the major global event, the Storm Mountain Diamonds (Kao Mine) has awarded the 30-year-old long-distance runner sponsorship to the tune of M200 000.

Seutloali and his marathoner wife, ’Neheng Khathala represented Lesotho at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.

 Seutloali completed the race on position 67 out of 106 contestants while Khatala finished 20th out of 88 contenders in the women’s category.

Handing over the sponsorship to the athlete on March 28, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Storm Mountain Diamonds, Mohale Ralikariki said the mine also sponsored Seutloali during the Tokyo Olympics.

“The initial sponsorship is worth M200 000 and is meant to assist the athlete in meeting his training needs, attending preparatory marathons and taking care of his daily needs," he said.
Ralikariki went on to say, "This is all done in preparation for the Paris Olympics and we believe that through this sponsorship, Mr Seutloali will be able to focus his energy and attention to his training and qualify for the Paris Olympics. The rest of the sponsorship shall be disbursed at a later stage."
Present at the awarding ceremony were the chairperson of the Federation of Athletics Lesotho, Tseliso Pheta, Lesotho National Olympics Chairperson, Tlali Rampoona, the Minister of Mining Serialong Qoo and his Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation counterpart, Likeleli Tampane.
The running couple’s local coach, Chaplin Mpomane said preparation before a race is crucial to any athlete.
“Preparation is the main factor that determines an athlete’s performance during competition. We have to change our mindset and stop the tendency of always blaming the athletes whenever they perform poorly without looking at the contribution made by sports administrators.