Qacha’s Nek April,22 – Coach James McKirdy has hailed Olympian Tebello Ramakongoana following his outstanding performance at the Boston Marathon, where he finished sixth and set a new national record of 2:04:18.
The Qacha’s Nek-born athlete’s impressive run in one of the world’s most prestigious marathons also earned him prize money of 13,500 US dollars (about M221,154), marking a proud moment for Lesotho and a significant milestone in his career.
In an interview with the Agency on Wednesday, McKirdy said the performance was in line with expectations, noting that it reflected years of focused preparation and steady development.
“This performance is exactly what we knew he was capable of. His time of 2:04:18 is astonishing, but also something we felt was fully reasonable given his training and development,” he said.
He noted that this year’s Boston Marathon was the most competitive in the event’s history, making Ramakongoana’s achievement even more remarkable.
“This was by far the most competitive Boston Marathon ever, and his placement and performance was one for the ages. We could not be more proud,” he added.
McKirdy described the result as one of the biggest achievements of his coaching career.
“His performance is among the highest achievements I have had the honour to be part of. The time he ran demonstrates all the hard work we have put in together over the years,” he said.
He explained that although the race pace was slower than expected at the start, Ramakongoana remained composed and executed the race strategy effectively.
