Athletics aims to continue global dominance
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday January 11, 2025 06:00
Athletics coach, Justice Dipeba, told MmegiSport that it is exciting and they are looking forward to the 2025 season. He said it should be a great year for athletes who have been inspired by the Botswana Paris 2024 Olympic team. “We have seen a lot of young athletes working hard wanting to make it into the national team. Coaches are also working hard for their athletes to make the team. It is going to be an exciting season, and probably we would see new faces,” Dipeba said. He said the plan is to see the 4x400m relay team continuing at the top. Dipeba also said they would like to see the women's team bounce back and make their mark in athletics. The Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) will kick off the year by sending a team to the World Athletics Indoor Championships to be held in Nanjing, China, in March.
The indoor championships would be followed by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under-18 and Under-20 Championships set for Madagascar. Botswana will send the men’s 4x400m relay team to the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, from May 10 to 11. In 2024, Botswana became the first African nation to win a men’s sprint event at the World Relays by taking victory in the men’s 4x400m. The team comprised Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Letsile Tebogo, Leungo Scotch, and Bayapo Ndori. September is the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa, which will be organised by the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC).
Botswana will be part of the more than 2, 000 athletes from some 200 countries who will be in Tokyo to take part in one of the world's biggest sporting events. During the Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships, Botswana won two medals. Olympic champion, Tebogo won the medals in the men’s 100m silver and a bronze medal in the men’s 200m. Tebogo and the men's 4x400m team have already qualified for the World Athletics Championships. The qualification period for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo and the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing started last year in August. As has been the case for recent global championships, the qualification system will be based on a combination of entry standards and world rankings. The entry standards have been set with the aim of qualifying about 50% of the athletes.
The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 2025 will be used as a qualifying event for the relays with the top 14 teams in each discipline securing their place at the World Championships. The closing date for qualification is August 24.