Magdeline Moyengwa: The trailblazer making Botswana's weightlifting debut at Tokyo 2020

Making history is becoming something of a habit for weightlifter Magdeline Moyengwa.

The 20-year-old initially snatched Botswana’s attention when she became the first female lifter from the country to compete in an International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championship. She debuted at the 2019 edition in Thailand, finishing 6th in the 59kg division.

Moyengwa is now making headlines again following her recent qualification for Tokyo 2020, in 2021. It means she'll represent Botswana in its debut in weightlifting at the Olympic Games.

The young weightlifter's ticket to Tokyo was punched after consistent performances in recent qualifiers ahead of the Games meant she was the top ranked athlete in Africa in her division.

Moyengwa walked away with a bronze medal at the African Championships in April which, coincidentally, was her first appearance in the senior version of the event. She then followed up her medal success by finishing in 13th at the IWF Junior World Championships last month (May) in Uzbekistan.

How it all started for Magdeline Moyengwa

Moyengwa has come a long way from the classroom that started it all.

When asked by a teacher during a Physical Education class if anyone would be interested in weightlifting, the 14-year-old shot up her hand.

She was then taken on a tour of the Bostwana National Sport Commission gym at the National Stadium, where she saw women lifting weights for the first-time. It inspired her.

“I wanted to do the same thing,” Moyengwa said, and the training sessions subsequently began.

In the same year she started learning the intricate mechanics behind her new sport, Moyengwa was spotted. Now coach Alex Rankgwe, identified the rising star at a talent programme event organised by the Botswana National Olympic Committee. He immediately wanted to take her to a training camp in neighbouring South Africa.

Her father, at first, disapproved of Moyengwa lifting and opposed her trip to Pretoria. Her mother tried to convince her husband to allow their daughter to pursue her passion, but she continued to face resistance.

It wasn’t until Moyengwa went to compete in the African Youth and Junior Championships in Uganda, in her weightlifting debut, that he realised his daughter was a force that could not be stopped. She returned home from her first competition highly decorated, achieving: one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

Pandemic woes for the weighlifter from Botswana

Having your name etched in the annals of history is an impressive feat, but when you consider the context behind Moyengwa’s preparations in the build-up to the qualifiers, the magnitude of her achievement is made even clearer.

Coach Rankgwe’s intentions for the Games were always that his athlete pursue straight qualification, and not look for a wildcard entry.

The plan for Moyengwa’s training involved travelling to the Pretoria High-Performance Centre in South Africa, where she would link up with a South African weightlifter also in training. However, restrictions imposed to step the Covid-19 pandemic meant that the South African athlete moved on to New Zealand for their own training, leaving the Botswana weightlifter without any international options.

Moyengwa had to instead prepare with the limited range of equipment she had locally.

“We will try to improve with the little we here because at the end of the day, I have to prepare myself,” Moyengwa shared with the Botswana Daily News at the time.

Trailblazing the way to Tokyo

Treading a path already paved is one thing. Setting the stones down yourself to walk on is an altogether different kind of challenge.

For female weightlifter Moyengwa, doing what hasn’t yet been done is the reality of her journey.

With her ticket now in the bag, she will look to make final adjustments to her lifts ahead of Tokyo 2020. A hopeful Botswana will wait to see what magic the young Moyengwa can produce at the Games in 2021.