SOUTH AFRICA: FENCING: Sello Maduma, a boy from the Mamelodi Township, fences his way to the Beijing Olympics in August

Record ID: 452622

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FENCING: Sello Maduma, a boy from the Mamelodi Township, fences his way to the Beijing Olympics in August
  • Date: 22nd July 2008
  • Summary: MORE PEOPLE AROUND THE STREET CARS DRIVING AROUND
  • Embargoed: 6th August 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Lifestyle,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA8CABZKA0VRBOQIS7QZWZP3EY6
  • Story Text: Sello Maduma, a 21-year-old hailing from Mamelodi township, said on Saturday (July 19) that he is confident of achieving a medal in the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Maduma is the first black South African to be included in the fencing team that will represent South Africa in August.
    "This is the biggest, going to the Olympics... it doesn't get any bigger than this, so this is a chance I'm going to take with both hands and hopefully make the most of it," said Maduma.
    Maduma is amongst a number of athletes that will be leaving for various base camps around Europe, to help them acclimatize and prepare for the August games.
    Though the South African team is not among the favourites for medals, Sello says the world should look out for him.
    "Look out for me in the Olympics, and I'm going to suprise the whole world," he said.
    Unlike soccer, cricket and rugby union, fencing is not that well known in most of the South African townships. Sello hopes that with him going to the Beijing Olympics, that will change as more and more people will start taking the sport seriously, and this will also help him promote the sport more in a lot of townships.
    Maduma made his international debut at the World Junior Championships in Turkey last year where he only managed to win one bout, but the national fencing team coach Gennady Tyshler is confident that Maduma will soon be gaining success for South Africa.
    "One of the last competitions that he had in South Africa, he came second. It means he's really good in the team, and we hope that in the near future, he will bring some medals for South Africa," he said.
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