06 May 2024

When 4x400m men’s team left the county on April 28, they had one thing in common, to win the gold medal that has eluded Botswana for a very long time. 

Monday morning was a different day as the world watched the Botswana quartet made up of Collen Kebinatshipi, Letsile Tebogo, Leungo Scotch and Bayapo Ndori deliver the first ever gold medal, recording a World leading time of 2:59.11 at the World Athletics Relays held in Nassau, The Bahamas.

 Botswana has long salivated for gold, and who will ever forget in 2017 in the same country, the same Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium when Karabo Sibanda and Lashawn Meritt were neck to neck but at the end, Botswana was relegated to a silver medal? In 2021 at the World Relays, Botswana only managed to win a bronze medal, and since that day, the athletes were determined to hunt the elusive medal. During the relays, the quartet ran a smooth and seamless race. Botswana had delegated Kebinatshipi, a very highly proficient athlete of note, and he handled his leg well and split 45.99 on position three, and safely handed the baton to Tebogo. 

Tebogo then sent a strong signal to spectators before cutting in at the 100 metres mark as he was already leading to ensure that they are delivering the gold to Botswana. His ability to cut-in during traffic is what differentiated him from the rest of the field, as he handed the baton to Scotch with the highest split of 43.72. Scotch did not disappoint as he maintained the lead, and he was so relaxed after realising that Tebogo had raised the bar and put the race out of reach for the opponents and also handed the baton to Ndori who clocked a split of 45.27. 

Ndori ran like it was his last race of his career, he knew the importance of delivering a gold medal to the nation. He was not under pressure but he was now running against the clock, hence he stopped the clock in a World leading time at the same time splitting 44.13. 

South Africa won a silver with a time of 3:00.75, Belgium won a bronze medal registering a time of 3:01.16. Meanwhile, Botswana together with Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain & Northern Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States have qualified for the Olympics. Both mixed 4x400m and 4x400 women missed the golden opportunity after they were given a second chance to qualify in the repechage rounds. 

The mixed relay made up of Anthony Pesela, Obakeng Kambereuka, Boitumelo Masilo and Lydia Jele clocked 3:16.39, and finished in position four in Olympic Qualifying round two. The women team, which comprised Motlatsi Rante, Galefele Moroko, Refilwe Murangi and Christine Botlogetswe finished in position five with a time of 3:38.33. 

However, all is not lost. For now the teams need to compete and better their times given that according to World Athletics, a further two Olympic Games places in each discipline will be awarded based on the top lists during the qualification period of December 31, 2022 to June 2024. ENDS