No World Record attempt by Kebinatshipi yet
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday October 20, 2025 06:00
The World Record of 43.03 seconds was set by South African, Wayde van Niekerk, in 2016 at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Van Niekerk was 24 years old when he broke the then-17-year-old record that was set by Michael Johnson. Kebinatshipi’s coach, Chilume ‘Chippa’ Ntshwarang, told MmegiSport that there is no World Record plan at the moment.
He explained that they want to focus on coming back in a better condition and then work on consistency. When asked about defending the World title, he said it is always tough to defend a title.
“The most important thing is to try to be consistent first, then maybe you can have a shot,” Ntshwarang said.
The 21-year-old Kebinatshipi had the most amazing World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, showing his intention of a podium finish with a blistering world-leading time of 43.61 seconds during the semi-final, setting a new National Record to secure a place in the final.
He went on to become the first man in Botswana to win gold at the World Athletics Championships by dropping the National Record to 43.53 seconds, which was also the fastest time in the world this year.
His championship time moved him 10th on the all-time world list for 400m. Kebinatshipi anchored the 4x400m quartet to give Botswana her first 4x400m gold medal under the torrential Japanese rain.
Meanwhile, Kebinatshipi and his teammate, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, have qualified for the newly introduced World Athletics Ultimate Championship meet.
According to World Athletics, the inaugural event to be held in Budapest, Hungary, from September 11 to 13, 2026, will offer a record-setting prize pot of $10 million (about P142m), the largest ever offered in a single track and field event.
“Every athlete lining up in Budapest will be financially rewarded for their performance, with the champion in each event taking home the top prize of $150,000.
“The list of qualified athletes will also include 26 World Champions from the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025, 25 Diamond League final winners from the 2026 season and the best performers of 2026,” World Athletics statement reads.
World Athletics also announced that there is no cap on how many stars from each country can compete in each event.
In the mixed 4x100m and 4x400m, teams will be able to qualify automatically via the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Botswana.