Tisang in dreamland after Tokyo qualification
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday August 18, 2025 06:00
After missing out on Budapest 2023 and Paris 2024, the athlete believed that stamping a ticket to Tokyo was possible. On August 9, Tisang, at the ripe age of 30, powered through the finish line in 48.42s to qualify for his first World Athletics Championships in 400mH, setting a new Personal Best (PB) and a new National Record (NR).
He was competing at the IFAM Oordegem event in Putbosstadion, Belgium. The excited Tisang said his plan together with his coach, Kebonyemodisa ‘Dose’ Mosimanyane. was to qualify for Tokyo.
“I knew I was going to qualify, this time I trusted in God and in what we were doing in training. So, it was all about trusting the process. Missing the qualification at the Kip-Keino Classic Meet in Kenya, was not a big deal because I knew we were going to qualify.
“How and when I did not know, I just trusted God and coaches,” Tisang said, beaming with a smile.
Tisang was born and raised in Maun and started his career as a high jumper at Moeti Junior Secondary School. He will then shift to the track as a 100m and 200m runner at Maun Senior Secondary School in 2013.
“During the same year, I switched to 110mH, by then I was coached by a coach from Cuba but it was a short period of five months. I then started working with Meleko Ndolo, Driller Sibanda, and his wife, Imara. After Sibanda and Imara left for Gaborone, I started working with Mosimanyane doing 100mH and we decided to do 400mH around 2021 during off-season. But there were some delays because I was afraid of lactic, so I ended up focusing on 400mH, but sometimes I was running 110mH. After the COVID-19 pandemic, I set a new NR in 400mH season opener clocking 49.98s in 2022,” he explained.
That was the beginning of war between Tisang and his training partner in Maun, Victor Ntweng who started to push for the NR.
Tisang explained that they knew he will register fast times in 400mH because he used to run the same distance but being a 100mH runner he made the switch since 2022.
“I decided to choose hurdles because I wanted something challenging and fun, so my aim is to inspire the young athletes and prove to them that it is possible as a Motswana to run 400mH,' he said.
'I started to represent my country in 2016 in Zimbabwe during the Southern Africa Championships, winning a silver medal. In 2019, I clinched gold medals in 100mH and 400mH at the Southern Africa Senior Championships, the same year I was red-carded after a false start in 100mH at the African Games in Morocco. In 2022, I finished in the semi-final during Africa Senior Championships and brought home a bronze in 400mH and was a finalist in the 100mH in Ghana.”
Tisang won a silver medal in 400mH at the Africa Senior Championships in Cameroon. The hurdler missed qualification to the World Championships in 2023, as he was ranked number 43 but only the top 40 were to qualify through time and rankings.
He failed to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics after stopping the clock at 48.76s whilst the qualifying standard was 48.70s.
Tisang said he trains in Pretoria, Hatfield, under prominent hurdles coach, Irma Reyneke, who coached South Africa record-holder, Louis Jacobus van Zyl, and the late Kenyan hurdler, Nicholas Kiplagat Bett, who won World Championships.
“Qualifying for the World Championships is the beginning of fast times but no pressure. My faith has been uplifted. It was not easy for me to get to Europe because I did not have money to book a flight ticket, pay for accommodation, food, and a visa. I was assisted by directors of Golden Door Sport Agency, Glody Dube and Tshepo Kelaotswe. They bought me flight ticket and travel insurance. Without their assistance I could not have managed to travel. Food and accommodation were paid by Mosimanyane and he has been assisting me in this journey in South Africa by paying for accommodation, food, transport, camp and injury treatment. Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) could not assist because they did not have funds,” said an emotional Tisang.
He said the plan is to reach the final and return home with a Sub 48 or 47 and the rest will be a bonus.
Tisang noted local hurdlers always give him good competition, and his wish is to inspire them to run faster times but Ntweng is always the man to beat.
He added the intention is to compete against the best on the international stage.
“I do not have a sponsor at the moment but we are still negotiating with Adidas, currently I am running under Adidas manager, Peet Van Zyl,” Tisang said.
FACT FILE
Full names: Kemorena Tisang
Date of birth: April 25, 1995
Place of birth: Maun
Profession: Hurdler (400mH and 100mH)
Club: Maun Track and Field
PB and NR: 48.42s
Role model: Isaac Makwala and Karsten Warholm (2020 Tokyo Olympic champion, silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, three-time World Champion and World record-holder).
Hobbies: Playing chess and snooker