Lesotho sent a delegation to compete in the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

from 26 August to 11 September 1972. This was the African country's first time participating at the Olympic Games. Lesotho's delegation consisted of a single sprinter, Motsapi Moorosi. He competed in two events, being eliminated in the first round of the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contes ...

, and advancing to the quarter-finals of the 200 meters.

Background

The Lesotho National Olympic Committee was recognized by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

on 1 January 1972. These Munich Olympics were their first appearance in Olympic competition, they have gone on to participate in every Summer Olympic Games since except the 1976 Montreal Games. The nation has yet to make its debut at the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

, and they have never won an Olympic medal. The 1972 Summer Olympics were held from 26 August to 11 September 1972; a total of 7,134 athletes representing 121

National Olympic Committees A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Gam ...

took part in the Games.

Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete Motsapi Moorosi was the only competitor Lesotho sent to Munich, and he was chosen as the flag-bearer for the opening ceremony.

Athletics

Motsapi Moorosi was 27 years old at the time of the Munich Olympics, and was making his only Olympic appearance. On 31 August, he participated in the first round of the men's 100 meters, and was drawn into heat six. He finished the race with a time of 10.74 seconds, sixth out of seven in his heat, and he was unable to advance further in the competition. The gold medal was eventually won in 10.14 seconds by

Valeriy Borzov Valeriy Pylypovych Borzov ( uk, Валерій Пилипович Борзов; russian: Валерий Филиппович Борзов, Valeriy Filippovich Borzov; born 20 October 1949) is a former Soviet sprinter. He is a two-time Olympian, ...

of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, the silver medal was earned by Robert Taylor of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and the bronze was taken by

Lennox Miller Lennox Valencia Miller (8 October 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica – 8 November 2004 in Pasadena, California) was a champion runner and father of Inger Miller. Representing Jamaica, Miller won the silver medal in the 100 meters in the 1968 Summ ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. The men's 200 meters was held over 3–4 September. In the first round, Moorosi was drawn into heat three, which he finished with a time of 21.15 seconds, fourth out of seven competitors in that heat, which was sufficient to advance him to the quarter-finals. For the quarter-finals, he was drawn into heat four, and finished with a time of 20.90 seconds. This put him fifth out of seven competitors in the heat, and he was eliminated as only the top three from each heat, and the fastest fourth-place finisher overall could advance. Borzov eventually won the gold medal in a time of 20 seconds flat, the United States' Larry Black won the silver medal, and the bronze medal was earned by Pietro Mennea of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

References

{{Nations at the 1972 Summer Olympics Nations at the 1972 Summer Olympics

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

1972 in Lesotho