Montsho stands the test of time
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday March 20, 2020 10:31
The 36-year-old is now Botswana’s most capped athlete at the Olympic Games after making her debut at the 2004 competitions, which were held in Athens, Greece.
Montsho booked her place at this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games on Saturday, when she crossed the line in 51.22 secs in the 400m race. The former world champion, who turns 37 in July, came back after a two-year ban arising from a doping incident in 2014. Montsho was suspended for two years for an anti-doping rule violation after she tested positive for methylhexaneamine at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Instead of being crestfallen, the suspension served as a motivation for the Maun-native. Just like fine wine, she has gotten better with her age, after winning a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Montsho does not have an active social lifestyle, which analysts argue, keeps her focused and on track.
Her coach, Justice Dipeba told Mmegi Sport that the message to the 400m runner was clear on Saturday, ahead of the athletes race, which saw her qualify for the Olympics.
“The instruction was very simple; Go for it Amantle, you are ready! Last week national team coach Dose Mosimanyane came to me and said ‘J.D. I am struggling to slow down Amantle during her 200m sessions, and I said to him she is ready’,” he said with a smile.
Dipeba said Montsho is a unique breed of athlete, who has passion, dedication, discipline and hard work in bucket loads.
Dipeba believes these are the perfect ingredients that have propelled her to the level that she is at, in her advanced athletics career. He said a lot of people were against his plea when he begged Montsho to come back and help the young women’s relay team. “I made that plea for a reason. After seeing what she was able to do in the 2017-2018 season, I felt she still had something in her that she could offer her country and she did not disappoint,” he said.
Montsho went on to win a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. She helped her team win bronze at the same competition.
Montsho also assisted the relay team at the 2019 African Games in Morocco. “I am proud of her and I thank her for agreeing to make a come back and inspire a lot of young athletes. You should watch her training. She kills those workouts like a 20-year-old. She is a special one,” Dipeba said.