Lawn Bowls player, Thabelo Muvhango is now a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, representing Makhado, Limpopo. She was part of Team South Africa in Birmingham.
She got the opportunity to experience moments that some can only dream of at the age of 22, as she describes that the experience was good because she got to meet different people and got exposed to cultures that are very different from her own.
Her love for Lawn Bowls began when she joined the Discovery Bowling Club in 2014.
For Thabelo, Power of Recognition means to keep people interested and the opportunity to attract new audiences/fans.
Her ambition is to take on the world in Lawn Bowls and continue representing South Africa.
Speaking to Tlamelo Kganakga, Muvhango hopes to see more women playing and Lawn Bowls getting more coverage.
Thabelo, congratulations on your performance at the Commonwealth Games and winning a silver medal. How was the experience for you and how was the feeling of being awarded a medal, representing your country, South Africa?
Yeah, thanks.
The experience was good and exciting, a little bit nerve wracking but we managed to calm down. It was also great because I got to meet people from different countries and learned about other cultures. I am so happy about the medal, to a point where I can’t even explain how happy I am.
Thank you for chatting to us here on gsport. Please introduce yourself to our readers?
It is a pleasure chatting to you.
I’m Thabelo Muvhango, 22 years of age, a Venda girl from Limpopo in Louis Trichard, also known as Makhado, but at the moment I live in Roodepoort. I am an athlete of Lawn Bowls and I am a lead in the fours team.
When and where did your love for sports begin and for those who may be unfamiliar with Lawn Bowls, kindly give us a layman’s breakdown.
It started in 2014 at Discovery Bowling Club.
Joining Discovery Bowling Club was because of my father, Morgan. He was a greenkeeper there and we also lived at the club.
Lawn Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a jack or a kitty.
What are some of the challenges you’ve had to face in your sport and how did you overcome them?
The challenges I have faced would be getting in the SA squad. It was not easy to get there and it takes more years than I imagined. You will have to mature in the game to be recognized.
I managed to overcome that by being humble and kept on playing great bowls, collecting a few accolades along the way.
What have been some of your career highlights?
I unfortunately failed my matric in 2018, but did not give up and rewrote in 2019, obtaining a Diploma. Now I am looking forward to going back to college and study Educare because I’m in love with kids and I’m also good at taking care of them. Of course the silver medal we were able to secure for my country.
Who are some of the sportswomen you admire and why?
Colleen Piketh, she became the first highest ranked women in Lawn Bowls because of the many titles she won. She also played with me in the national pairs, where we won the gold medal together.
Looking back at the last five years, what do you think of the coverage of women’s sports, both online and on print? Particularly when it comes to Lawn Bowls?
Compared to men we haven’t had a lot of women playing Lawn bowls and the coverage could definitely get better
What progress do women still need to make in the field of lawn bowls?
I really don’t think there is a lot of progress needed for the women. Over the years they managed to collect a lot of medals when they go out to play world bowls, commonwealth games and many more. I just want to see an increase in the number of women in the sport.
What’s your advice to young girls who want to pursue this career and how important is it for them to take care of themselves mentally, physically and emotionally?
The first thing I would tell young girls or anyone who want to pursue Lawn bowls as a career is that in South Africa this sport is not a career. You can only play bowls as a hobby and get to represent your district, province and country. Unfortunately you do not earn money to play bowls in South Africa, in other countries like Australia, yes you can do it as a career. In Lawn bowls you just have to be mentally fit and also learn how to handle the pressure.
What are your thoughts on the performance of women overall at the Commonwealth Games?
I think the performance overall was great because we managed to bring back a silver medal and that was the only game that we lost in the fours.
What do you think of the media coverage and how can we better support women’s sports?
Honestly for bowls, I would say the coverage has been bad overall because at home they struggle quite a lot to see the sport on TV. They only get to see few games.
So the support in media coverage will beam across to wider audiences and help us as women get noticed in sports.
We are heading into gsport17 awards and our theme is Power Of Recognition. How important is Power Of Recognition for you?
The power of recognition for me is important because it helps to keep people interested in the game and you get recognized by a wider group of people. It will also draw the attention of people who would like to know more about this game. For bowls, it would be great to reach wider audiences and dispel the misconception that it’s only for old people. I’m 22 years old and I know younger players who play the sport, so yeah it would be great.
What’s your greatest career ambition?
Career ambitions for me is to continue playing well and still get a chance to represent my country again. The first one was being in the Commonwealth team, so I think my next one would be going to World Bowls. That is something I would love to achieve.
Photo 1 Caption: Lawn Bowls player, Thabelo Muvhango is now a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, representing Makhado, Limpopo. She was part of Team South Africa in Birmingham. Photo: Supplied
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