Makwala goes for the last hunt
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday July 18, 2022 16:00
As it stands, the world medal is the only one that has eluded him in his career. Makwala has unfinished business at this championships after the 2017 scandal that saw him being disqualified from the 400m race. The man is out to prove his mettle amongst the best quarter milers in the world.
However, odds might be stalked against him because unlike in the previous competitions, Makwala does not have his coach, Justice Dipeba in his corner. The coach's experience played a pivotal role in the 400m heats. “I was born ready. So I am ready to start this journey and finish it.
I am in a perfect shape. There are some things that I feel are not going well but I do not want that to affect my mind. I will shift my mind to other things when I am done with the championships,” Makwala told Sport Monitor from Oregon.
Pressure shifted to the 400m team after Letsile Tebogo bowed out of the competition finishing in position seven, stopping the clock at 10.17 on Sunday morning. Tebogo had a stumble at the beginning of the race. The sprint sensation shook the world during the heats when he upset the World Junior record with a massive 9.94. Setting a life time best and national record. Tebogo’s next target is the World Youth Games scheduled for Cali, Colombia.
National Under 20 coach, Chilume Ntshwarang said Tebogo was affected by the stumble he had at the beginning of the race during the semi final. “He had a stumble and when he made a come back it was already late. During the heats, he wanted to reclaim the World Junior record that was taken away from him in the beginning due to some technical issues. He went all out and achieved his target. He executed his plan very well,” he said.
Tebogo had the same stumble during the World Under 20 championships in Nairobi, fortunately he pushed on. Ntshwarang said it is something that should be worked on to avoid future occurrences. He said it might be mental strength. Regarding the 400m men, Ntshwarang said the team is in a good place to make the semis. “They are in strong heats but they stand a chance of qualifying for the semi finals. When they race in the semi finals, they will gain confidence and start running their own races,” he said.