Who ever thought jumping rope could bring you so much fame and prestige? Only a talented and super gifted Keolebogile Mokolopo could think so!
Many associate jumping rope with children’s game or a great source of cardio. Very few relate it to a competitive sport. For Keolebogile Mokolopo, it is her gift.
And her gift has taken her far; she’s held a national record for Double Team gold medalist at the Canada World Championships since 2006, and is a coach, facilitator and judge of rope skipping. Last year as a rope skipper, Mokolopo won silver and bronze at the World Jump Rope Championships in Orlando, Florida.
Along with teammates Sonopo Tshilwane, Mbali Nyundu and Amanda Msongelwa, she bested nearly 800 competitors across more than 30 countries, placing third in her Single Rope Freestyle event and second in the individual three-minutes speed category. It was the second consecutive World Championship in a row that South Africa’s jumpers brought home medals. As a coach, she also brought her Rize Up Skippers all the way to the championships.
Aside from winning, she has also impacted in children through the Sasol sport development program; a program where she began holding rope skipping clinics for the children of a community in South Africa.
Through Sasol, the children are given the opportunity to channel their energy in healthy ways, travel and become exposed to different cultures. It wasn’t long before the Rize Up Skippers team was born. Through the years and Mokolopo’s leadership, the team expanded from five members to 35 members.
Across the board, for the communities touched by Keolebogile Mokolopo’s work, the advancement of future generations is just a hop, skip and a jump away.
Culled from Okay Africa
