Tebogo, Nowe in Diamond League battle

Calistus Kolantsho | Friday August 21, 2026 10:39

The athlete will be making a comeback after a short rest since July 10, when he competed at the Monaco Diamond League Meet, running the 100m and finishing in fifth position in 10.04s. His last 200m race was at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League Meet in Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon, where he claimed second position in 19.93s, finishing behind upset winner Tate Taylor on July 4. The Lausanne race pits Tebogo (19.84s) against a strong field comprising Jaiden Reid (19.63s), Gout Gout (19.67s), Kenny Bednarek (19.69s), Sinesipho Dambile (19.74s), Tate Taylor (19.75s), Jose Figueroa (19.76s), Andre De Grasse (19.84s), Jelani Watkins (19.87s), and Aidan Murphy (19.88s).

Tebogo is ranked number two in the Diamond League standings with 22 points as the journey to the final continues.

Tebogo’s coach, Kebonyemodisa Dose Mosimanyane, told MmegiSport that the plan is to take it easy and ‘wake up’ the body.

He said the mood is high in the camp ahead of the race and expects everything to go according to plan.

After struggling with injuries this season, one-lap sensation Bayapo Ndori will make a comeback to the track.

He will line up in the men’s 400m race at the Silesia Diamond League Meet in Silesia, Poland, on August 23 (Sunday).

Ndori is currently ranked number five in the world, with a Season’s Best (SB) of 44.62s, and is ranked number 10 in the Diamond League standings with eight points.

He will be up against the number one-ranked 400m athlete, Collen Busang Kebinatshipi, who holds an SB of 43.22s and is currently number two in the Diamond League standings with 32 points. Kebinatshipi has already qualified for the Diamond League final.

Meanwhile, Mosimanyane explained that Ndori is back in competition and hopefully will finish healthy, adding that it is good to see Ndori back in training and competition.

Another local athlete and 2026 Commonwealth Games 800m finalist, Oratile Nowe, will also be in action in Lausanne, ranked number nine with 11 points.

The national record holder has an SB of 1:57.32, and the race for the Diamond League final is intensifying.

Nowe’s coach, Samuel Sepeng of Sepeng Athletics Project in Pretoria, told MmegiSport that everything is well for the race and there are no injuries.

He said it is almost the end of the season and he wants to finish it off on a high note by reaching the Diamond League final.

Regarding Nowe’s performance at the Commonwealth Games, Sepeng noted it was part of the plan to reach the final, but she failed to get a podium finish due to factors such as being boxed in by other athletes.

“Finishing in position four at the Commonwealth Games is a huge achievement and also an improvement from the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships, where she clocked 1:58.43, narrowly missing out on a spot in the final. Nowe is a deliverer,” Sepeng said.

“She is in position nine, and only the top eight qualify for the Diamond League final, but she is not worried. We are not going to rush things so that she runs faster; we have LA2028 to plan for, so this is a long process.”