Brothers are a force to be reckon with
No matter what Clive Lebotsa (16) goes on to achieve in his career, it is unlikely there will be many days to match the events of June 9.
Clive strode onto the wrestling mat for a must-win encounter against Nelspruit Wrestling Academy’s Matthias Odendaal, in order to make the final squad to represent his province at the South African National Cadet Champions.
Wrestling for team White River, Clive and his younger brother Blessing (11) have only been with the club since last August.
Teammate Jean-Michael Delassus invited the two brothers to come and join after walking past them at White River Rugby Club. The Lebotsa brothers were playing with a rugby ball. They asked Jean-Michael if he wanted to play with them, an invitation he accepted. He then told them more about the sport of wrestling.
“Jean-Michael is a small boy and yet he is so strong! We were very impressed by his skills. Of course we were scared at first, but we like the exercise. We get to see a lot of places when travelling to matches,” the two brothers said.
Having had no knowledge of the sport, in just 10 months Clive will have a go at a medal for the first time in his life.
He is confident that he will return with the gold. He will be competing in the cadet freestyle for 14 to 16 years in the 55-kilogram category.
“I want to win the gold! It will really be a big achievement for me, as I have put in a lot of hard work in preparation for the champs,” said Clive.
At first, Blessing was more interested in wrestling. For the first few weeks, his older brother only accompanied him to practices.
“I pitched up with long pants, a hat and boots. As I was watching my brother, Coach Neels (Smit) said I must practise with the team. And so my love of wrestling grew,” said Clive.
The Lebotsa brothers do not wrestle each other at home, but Blessing is confident that he will soon beat his brother.
“It is only a matter of time that I will beat Clive.”
Clive replied, “No ways! As long as I do push-ups, my brother will never beat me.”
Coach Smit said they are brilliant wrestlers and that he is excited to see what the future will hold for the boys.
Blessing hopes to qualify for the South African Youth Championships in September. He will be in action in the freestyle 12 to 13 years in the 41-kilogram category.
