Sibanda reflects on fastest 400m race
Kabelo Boranabi | Thursday August 18, 2016 14:16
He emerged as the new hero after Amos crushed out in the 800-metre heats, while Makwala fell out in the semifinal and Baboloki was kept out due to an injury.
Sibanda finished fifth in the final of the 400m with a personal best of 44:25 making him the second fastest junior (Under-20) runner in the world behind Thebe.
The Maun-born athlete was part of a record-breaking final, where Wayne van Nierkerk shattered a 17-year-old record set by American, Michael Johnson after the South African sprinter clocked 43:03.
“I feel really great because I was in a final that saw a world record set 18 years ago broken by a huge margin. This comes as motivation to me,” Sibanda reflected on being part of the history-making final.
He further said being the youngest on the track behind Kirani James, 23, means chances are high that he may challenge for the top honour in future.
“Hopefully yes, I do see myself as a future champion because all I do is driven by hard work and passion, the love and joy I get.”
Sibanda recently won a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Poland.
He walked away with the prestigious Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) Sportsperson of the Year award.
He won gold at the 2014 Africa Youth Games (AYG) held in Gaborone.
“I try to remain as humble as I can. I would remain the same Karabo no matter what I achieve in the future,” Sibanda said after achieving a lot at a tender age.
The youngster is hard at training preparing for the 4X400m relay on Saturday.
The relay team is the nation’s only hope for a medal after all the 12 athletes bowed out of individual events. The relay team recently came first at the Diamond League race in Doha.
They will be in action early on Saturday morning (2:10am).