Olympic medal in Lamola ‘s sight

POLOKWANE – The 5 km provincial champion, Herry Lamola, once again completed the Comrades Qualifier Mall of the North 5 km run in a record time of 16:26 on Saturday.

Lamola started competing in athletics when he was in primary school and has represented the province in various national meetings in both field and track events.

In 2013, Lamola completed the 5 km run in a time of 12:48 and says his time increased this year due to lack of training.

“I did not train enough this year and this affected my time. I wanted to finish the race in less than 10 minutes to prove that I am among the best runners. I am planning to focus more on my training so that I can qualify for the Olympics next year,” says Lamola.

He adds that he wants to compete in the Olympics to get the exposure he deserves and fly the South African flag high like other professional athletes. Lamola looks up to the Jamaican sprinter, Usian Bolt.

Bolt is arguably the fastest man in the world, winning three gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and becoming the first man in Olympic history to win both the 100 m and 200 m races in record times.

“I am the best in the province when it comes to 5 km races. I have been doing well since I started competing in athletics but I do not get financial support from anyone and this makes it hard for me to travel to races outside the province. I qualified for many national championships but I end up not going due to financial crises,” says Lamola.

Lamola says young people should try and juggle both education and careers at the same time to have options in the future. He also urges youth to take part in sport to live a healthy lifestyle and stay away from the streets.

Anyone who is willing to sponsor Lamola can contact him at 079 160 0314.