21 Jul 2022

It will be a moment to behold when Bayapo ‘Zim Dollar’ Ndori make a maiden appearance at a World Championships final tomorrow (4:35a.m - Botswana time).

The 400m runner has been in scintillating form at the ongoing championships in Oregon, United States. 

He reached the final after clocking 44.87 in the heats and 44.94 in the semis.

The Tutume-born athlete will be back to lane eight where he did wonders in the heats.

The last time Botswana ascended to the podium was through Amantle Montsho, who won a silver medal in the 2013 World Championships in Russia.

Now all eyes will be on Ndori, who faces stern competition from experienced athletes in the likes of Christopher Taylor of Jamaica, Jonathan Jones of Barbados, Kirani James of Grenada, US’ duo of Michael Norman and Champion Allison, Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain, and South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk.

Though he will be an under-dog, Ndori may shock the world should he remain focused and calm. 

With Van Niekerk on lane seven, it will be an advantage for Ndori given that they both have a history of doing well on the outer lane.

The South African broke the world record at the 2016 Olympics, running on lane eight and clocking 43.03.

Team Botswana coach, Dose Mosimanyane, said in an interview that they only had one day to rest. 

He said the medical team, therefore, emphasised on massage, adding the athlete should get a lot of sleep and drink plenty of water to help him recover.

Mosimanyane said he told Ndori to continue enjoying his race without any pressure.

“He is going in as the underdog so there’s no pressure. Again, we are already happy with the personal best he ran in the first round and for reaching the final. So anything else will be a bonus,” he said.

Meanwhile, Isaac Makwala missed the final after finishing on position eight in his heat with a time of 46.04.

Former Botswana Athletics Association secretary general, Patrick Moesi, described Ndori as one for the future, a great fearless fighter.

He said the athlete demonstrated once again that his qualification was not by chance.

“With his attitude and good form, anything can happen in the final, but he is definitely not under any pressure. I think making it to the final is in itself already a big feat,” he said.

Moesi said the final would be highly contested and probably tactical.

Therefore, he advised Ndori to stay in the leading pack. 

He added that with his strong finish, he might just cause an upset. 

Talking about Makwala, he said the athlete started slow and did not get into rhythm as he usually did when running in the outer lanes.

“He should have started quicker to have any realistic chance of qualifying. With the 4x400m relays coming, we will surely see him leading the team,” Moesi said. 

Meanwhile, Botswana 4x100 men’s relay team will be competing on Sunday (240am).

 The team;  Makwala, Ndori, Anthony Pesela, Zibani Ngozi, Leungo Scotch  and Maitseo Keitumetse. ends