Amos back in Pretoria after US stint
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday December 4, 2020 15:24
Amongst the athletes was 800m specialist Nijel Amos, who went on to bag the country’s first, and only Olympic Games medal in London.
His hard work in Pretoria paid off as he clocked 1:41.73 to win a silver medal. Amos is now back in Pretoria, hoping the city’s magic wand would propel him back to his level best, as he chases another medal at next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.
Amos said he settled in Pretoria, as he could not travel back to his United States base due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. However, he is expected to return to the US once the COVID-19 situation improves.
“We decided as a team for me to be based here. The reason why I choose Pretoria is that I trained here in 2012 when I was preparing for the Olympics. So we are kind of retracing the steps and this place gives me comfort and I am connected to it,” he told Mmegi Sport.
Amos said he was excited to be training with the likes of Caster Semenya. He said his goal is to keep up the momentum he has had since he joined Nike Oregon Track Elite Club.“My coach and the rest of the team are working hard to get me back to my best so that I am ready for that podium finish in Tokyo,” he said.In 2019, Amos clocked 1:41:00, which was the fastest time in the world since 2012. He said that was an indication that he was getting back to his old shape.Amos set the 2018 Stanford Invitational men’s 800m meet record by running 1:44.65.
At the 2019 Monaco Diamond League meet Amos ran a blistering 1:41.89, hitting 600m in 1:15.22.Amos said he is motivated as he was in the right path. He works with his team virtually from his Pretoria base.