Leemisa Thuseho

HAVING been last seen in action in 2019, Lesotho’s only international female cyclist, Likeleli Masitise, has said she will soon be back in action soon.

While some have been worried about her long absence, Masitise told this publication that she is currently studying and would return once she has completed her studies.

Masitise enrolled at the Lesotho College of Education (LCE) in 2018 and is now in her final year. She was supposed to have sat for her final examination last year but the examinations were deferred due to Covid-19.

“I am still at school; however, I will soon be back to competitions once I am done with my studies,” Masitise said.

She admitted that after the long break, it will not be easy for her to retain her form. She however, said she was ready to work hard.

She is also anticipating to also retain her position in the national team but said this would be determined by her performance.

“It will not be easy to retain my form but I will work hard. I will start by focusing on improving my performance here at home. As for the national team, only my performance will determine whether or not I still deserve a place in the national team or not,” she added.

Masitise’s last appearance on the international scene was during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.

In 2017, Masitise won a bronze medal at the African Mountain Bike Championship in Mauritius.

She has been dominating domestic completions until she was stripped of her national marathon champion title by young Tebello ‘Mofa.

Masitise also failed to show up for the recent National MTB cross country championship where she was expected to defend her title. The championship we held last month in Maseru.

Although the championship could have boosted her international and national rankings, Masitise said she had minor health issues at the time.