- Mosupiemang ended in the Round of 16 in Spain recently
Alongside another local karateka, Kagiso Mophuting, Mosupiemang took part in the competition that took place from the 28 to 30 January, courtesy of Botswana National Sports Commission.
It was Mosupiemang’s first international competition after two years of enforced sporting inactivity to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. He participated in the 84kg category in finished in the Round of 16.
“It was a tough tournament even though I managed to finish in the Round 16,” Mosupiemang said in a telephone interview with The Business Weekly Sports. “It was made difficult by the fact that I had more than 20 months without competing in the international arena,” he pointed out.
“I also did not train with Sensei Ofentse Bakwadi as I usually do before I travel to international competitions. Nevertheless, I am happy with my performance as it gives me hope that I can do better in the coming competitions.”
He said he competed in the Spain competition because he wants to improve his World Karate Federation (WKF) rankings in order to be able to compete in the Karate Premier League. That is because karatekas earn points through the Karate 1 – Series A competitions that allow them to compete in Karate’s biggest event, the Karate 1 Premier League. Only 32 athletes per category compete in the Karate 1 Premier League. Mosupiemang said his target for this year is to compete and win medals at competitions like the Zone 6, Africa Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
This is a karateka who has tasted international victories before. He is a two times Zone 6 champion, a 2019 Karate Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and a 2017 Africa Championships silver medallist. He told The Business Weekly Sports that he intends do everything in his power to make sure that he makes it into the Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) national team in order for him to win titles again. BOKA national team selections will be held later this month.
