COMMONWEALTH GAMES
Sinethemba Blom fights his way out of poverty to be a medal contender
The son of an Eastern Cape farm worker has been boxing since he was six
Psychology student Sinethemba Blom out-thought and then outsmarted his taller opponent to win his 64kg boxing bout and advance to the last eight in the Commonwealth Games on Sunday. Blom‚ a final-year BA student at the University of the Western Cape‚ needed the first round of the bout to work out Guyana’s lanky Colin Lewis‚ who is nicknamed Superman. Blom at first struggled to avoid the jab and often made the mistake of leaning back to get out of range‚ but after the first round he returned and bobbed his way in under Lewis’s jab. That tactic proved to be kryptonite for his foe‚ who was badly exposed on the inside. It was no surprise that four of the five judges scored the South African the victor. Blom’s biggest concern‚ however‚ was a gash above his left eyebrow‚ although coach Mladeli Mngqhibisa was confident it would not be a factor in his quarterfinal against Jessie Lartey of Ghana on Tuesday. Lartey is at his third Games‚ having made the last 16 of the 56kg division at Delhi 2...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.