Tsoyo siblings make headway in schools cycling race
The two defended individual titles in boys and girls categories respectively in the Southern Region Presidential Schools BMX Cycling Championships at Country Club Limbe (CCL) in Blantyre on Saturday.
As the tricky, winding course caught most of the 44 contestants off-guard, with some crashing, the Tsoyos completed the four laps with ease to retain their crowns in the boys’ 15-17years and girls’ 12-14 years categories.
They have since qualified for the national finals in Mzuzu in May.
According to the youngsters, who are in Standard 7 (Fanuel) and 8 (Lisa), cycling is in their blood as their elder brother Leonard is the current Illovo Cycling Race’s third-placed athlete. Leonard represented Malawi at the recent Cape Argus Race in South Africa.
“I would like to represent the country at international competitions. It inspires me to see my elder brother Leonard making several foreign trips due to cycling. I want to be like him and I have no doubt that I will make it one day,” said 16-year-old Fanuel.
But his 14-year-old sister, who feels she would make strides both as a cyclist and a journalist said: “I have not seen or heard of a local female cyclist earning a good life through the sport, so I feel it would be better to become a journalist although my future remains bright in cycling.”
At the national finals, Fanuel will represent his category alongside schoolmate Hopson Chabe and Makhetha Primary School’s Madalitso Ali. Lisa will lead Emmie Naphazi and Ivy Banda of St Maria Goretti and Limbe Primary School’s Patuma Hackson.
Madalitso Kasengwe of Misesa will lead his runner-up Clement Mbozile of Makhetha and Chichiri’s Yonasi Mwenekeni in the boys’ 12-14 years category.
Misesa’s Peter John will represent the 9-11 years section alongside schoolmate Lonjezo Likhaluwe and Chimaliro’s Nixon Tsoyo whereas Austin Sitima of Makhetha, Magomero’s Roben Gayiwa and St Kizito’s Nicholas Mchenga will carry the flag in the 7-8 years division.
