Herald Carletonville/Fochville
port
24 Augustus 2012
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Local Olympian back home Vincent Mofokeng The Merafong marathon athlete who took part in the London Olympics, Coolboy Ngamole, is back home after obtaining more depth in his career, his mind set on greater glory and still proud to be one of SA’s best runners. Ngamole didn’t come back home with a medal and might have fallen out during the race, but he comes home with whole lot of memories and knowledge to up his game. On Ngamole’s visit to the Herald he explained the magnificent atmosphere of the 80 000 strong crowd roaring on their favou-
rite athletes at the Olympic stadium. “It felt like you are on another planet because the whole is united and cheering in their different colours,” he told the Herald of his experience. On racing day the atmosphere filled the air with electricity and the athletes were all prepared to run the race they intensively trained for four years. The race started very well with all the athletes running at a comfortable pace and as time went by Ngamole’s team mates one by one started to run differently. The team wasn’t together for the rest of the race and everyone did their own
Coolboy Ngamole during the mens marathon final in London. Printed for the owner and publisher
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thing. “It is different to run if your team isn’t together most of the race, as when they are together the athletes run more freely. The members of the team can strategise together and support one another mentally,” says Ngamole. The crowd also plays a role in an athlete’s performance and if the athlete doesn’t focus and get his head around the effects of the things around, he will easily loose the sense of the race. Ngomole’s preparation for the Olympics was exquisite as it changed his whole outlook on his training, different programmes and more elite training. A lot of people were worried about his preparation for the Olympics as they didn’t think or know how ready he was for such a competitive stage. Friends and family however gave their support in prayers and encouragement. According to Ngomole, he called his son before going to London to tell him he is leaving and his child’s simple response gave him something to laugh about and keep his mind clear. Looking at Ngamole’s training and the facilities he uses compared to the other South African athletes, he must be one of the athletes who has fewer resources. According to Ngomole, some of the other athletes trained at more advanced grounds and better facilities and this proved again that where and how you train makes your performance better. The other athletes’ training was better and so was their performance. Ngamole trains in Merafong and told the Herald that our area lacks proper grounds and resources to make athletes train at their level best. Ngamole also doesn’t have a coach and so has to push himself to a certain limit that maybe a coach requires. On the positive side this aspiring athlete shows that one can still reach your dreams even if you do not have all the best facilities. The knowledgde that he came back with from London not only benefits him but can also benefit Merafong as a whole. He is targeting to bring together the Merafong community athletes and to train them to become very powerful marathon runners. He is making a plea to the Merafong municipality to help with resources and facilities to bring up athletes. He is also targeting schools to develop athletes to keep them off the streets. He believes that sport can bring people together. Ngamole now wants to evolve his strategy, which requires of him to sit down and plan for the 2016 Rio Olympics. One of the necessary aspects of his strategy will also be based on the support he gets from both the municipality and his employer, Gold Fields. He will put together a four-year plan to bring back gold from the next Olympics. A period of six months training in Kenya would also have a great influence on his performance and he hopes that Gold Fields will consider to sponsor the training. Ngamole further told the Herald that he thinks that the Kenyans make such good marathon runners and the argument was that many of Kenya’s best runners come from the sunny highlands in the Great Rift Valley, which also happens to be the birth-
place of Homo Sapiens. The land there is flat with year-round mild weather, encouraging regular outdoor running. The high elevation of about 7 000 feet could help runners here develop lungs capable of functioning in thinner air. When these runners descend to the relatively low elevation courses at Boston or Beijing, the thicker atmosphere there would give them, in effect, a sustained oxygen boost. This may help explain why they developed physical traits better suited for running, although it’s possible that these features are also due to something called “genetic drift”. It is Ngamole’s goal to beat the Kenyans in the next Olympics. “I will not be down due to my past performance, I will do better. My aim wasn’t to just be at the Olympics, it was to bring something back to my country. I have always dreamt of going to the Olympics and so I will again in 2016.” Ngamole also thanked Gold Fields, especially the management and head of sports, Sydney Mdluli, as well as the Merafong municipality. He also thanked his shaft manager, Gordon Elexander, and his family for always giving him support or advice about life and last but not least his family. Now Ngamole focuses on the future and says it is time he pulls his socks up even if it means his socks must reach his head.
Back to his usual routine at home. Ngamole getting his hair cut at a salon.
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