Record-breaker Amos calls it a day
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday October 10, 2025 09:55
The announcement comes at a time when the nation waited with baited breath for the return of the 800m runner to the track after a three-year ban for a doping offence. This week, Amos who is now a middle-distance coach for Iran, submitted his retirement letter to the BAA.
Speaking to MmegiSport, he said it was not easy because he did not know what to say, but every word carried a memory.
“It was emotional, a mix of peace, pride, and a bit of pain. You know, closing a chapter that has been your whole life is not easy. Athletics raised me; it gave purpose, identity, and a voice.
“It truly felt like saying goodbye to the person I had been with my whole life,” he said in an interview.
Amos said when he penned the retirement letter, he thought about the boy from Marobela village running barefoot on dusty roads, dreaming of moments he could not even imagine.
On the other hand, he thought of the same boy standing on the Olympic podium, teary-eyed, knowing he had made history for his country by becoming the first Botswana Olympic medallist at only 18 years of age.
“Deep down, I cannot say I achieved everything I wanted. There were dreams that slipped away, races I still replay in my head, and moments I wish had gone differently. What if certain moments went differently? What if I had more consistent years at my peak?” wondered an emotional Amos.
He explained that those thoughts still cross his mind, and that part stings because he knows how much he gave to athletics.
Amos stated that he has made peace with the situation, adding that the journey itself is a victory. He said every win, loss, injury and comeback shaped who he is today, and that is the story worth more than a medal.
Amos, whose personal best of 1:41.73 keeps him amongst the eight fastest men ever over 800 metres, has been through a lot in both professional and personal life.
At one point, he wanted to sell his Olympic medal in 2022, frustrated by the lack of support and undermined by the Botswana National Olympic Committee, he announced that he would stop representing Botswana.
In 2022, Amos received a three-year ban for using a prohibited substance.