Mixed feelings over Commonwealth Games medals target
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday July 28, 2026 11:42
The best performance was during the 2018 Gold Coast Games, where the country scooped three gold medals by Isaac Makwala (400m), Amantle Montsho (400m) and the men’s 4x400m relay team.
Baboloki Thebe won a silver medal in the men’s 400m while the women’s 4x400m relay team settled for a bronze medal.
The target seems to be getting difficult as swimming and bowling started the competition on a bad note.
Team Botswana Chef De Mission, Tebogo Ntesang told SportMonitor that the Monday and Tuesday competitions will give them an idea on whether they can review the set target.
“Athletics has started and boxing continues, with bowling new group coming in, so that will give us a clear sense of medal possibility,” she said.
The going was tough for bowling team as Modisaotsile Mphoto lost both sets (10-4, 7-2) to Cook Islands in the men’s Singles match played yesterday.
The duo of Sebathu Sinombe and Mpopi Pelemo narrowly lost the first set 4-3 before dropping the second set 9-4 to concede defeat against Canada.
In another game Pelemo and Sinombe lost both sets against Welsh pair (8-2, 15-1). Treasure Moremi made a strong performance winning by a unanimous decision against Phoenix Gataua from Niue Island.
Keatlaretse Gift Modise took to the ring in the Bantamweight 54kg opening bout against Greer Hall of New Zealand. However, Modise fell short by unanimous decision and did not proceed to the next stage.
In swimming, Maxine Egner clocked 59.06 seconds in the women’s 100m freestyle, finishing in position 32 out of 70 swimmers overall, missing out on a spot in the semi-finals.
Adrian Robinson cruised in the men’s 50 breaststroke heats, touching the wall in 27.87 seconds, registering a new Personal Best and a new National Record. During the semi-final, Robinson finished in position eight, clocking 28.57 seconds.
Kemorena Tisang was the first athlete to open the athletics competition on Monday in the men’s 400m hurdles followed by Boitshepiso Kelapile in the women’s 100m followed by Oratile Nowe in the women’s 800m heats.
Yesterday, Moremi dug deep against Lesotho’s Litabe Toka to secure a hard-fought split decision victory. The boxer has punched his ticket to the next round of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Boitshepiso Kelapile finished in position four, in the women's 100m, recording11.89s time. She will not advance to the semi-final.