Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 62, September 2014 | Página 17

come easily. My training now is not for sissies – it’s geared to
international standards so I can compete at the highest level.

MA: What would you tell young athletes who want to
reach the level you’re at?

Lebo: It’s about never losing hope, because you never know
what could happen – and be drug-free, because they can
destroy your career.
Lebogang: They almost destroyed mine. Back in 2011, a
manager that I trusted gave me pills when I was sick before a
race, and I then finished third and was so happy. There were
anti-doping tests at the finish and I didn’t think anything of it,
because I believed that I was clean, but days later I received a
call telling me that they found methylhexaneamine, and I had
to go to a hearing. Richard Mayer, who is like a father to us
and has helped us throughout our careers, helped me at the
hearing.
Eventually, Lebo remembered the pills the manager gave
me. I still had some and they tested positive for that exact
substance. That manager did not pitch for the hearing and was
eventually suspended for seven years. Fortunately I was only
suspended for three months. God was there and knew that I
was innocent. If I’m crossing that finish line, I’m crossing it
clean. So know what you’re taking!

MA: You two have also travelled the world as runners.
Any highlights that stand out?

Lebo: It was in Poland back in 2009, when my sister and I
competed for SA in cross-country and were in the form of
our lives. I was in the top-20 and my sister was top-15. We
challenged those Kenyans and Ethiopians!

Lebogang winning the
Totalsports Ladies Joburg 10km.

MA: If you could have any characteristic that your sister
has, what would it be?
Lebo: I would love to have her heart, because she doesn’t give
up easily. She has a heart of a lion.
Lebogang: No, I wish I had her heart, because whatever
you ask, she gives. I’ll say that Lebo has a heart of a giraffe,
because she’s so tall!
Lebo: No, it would be better if you said a cheetah!
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