It was great to see so many nations descend on our shores – not for politics but something that can actually conjure happiness and excitement. Botswana pulled off the ultimate diplomatic miracle: nations from all corners of the globe descended on Gaborone, not to argue about trade deals or borders, but to argue about who dropped the baton first, not to feud over the opening and closing of any straits. The National Stadium became the United Nations of sprinting—except instead of speeches, there were vuvuzelas, and instead of resolutions, there were relay splits. It was refreshing to see countries channel their competitive spirit into something that actually produced joy. No one stormed out of a meeting; they stormed down the track. No one vetoed anything; they just vetoed gravity by leaping into baton handoffs. And when the crowd erupted, it wasn’t in protest—it was in pure, unfiltered celebration. Noah Lyles did not come.
The official reason for his absence—alongside Sha’Carri Richardson—was due to team selection decisions by USA Track & Field, influenced by athlete availability, travel costs, and a strategic focus on future competitions. But the ever-creative Botswana social news mill was not convinced. They surgically cut up the official reasons: Firstly, the USA never has issues with travel costs. Remember, this is a country that has even sent people to the moon. Now you want to tell me they cannot make a trans-Atlantic flight to Southern Africa. Locals also concocted a theory that Lyles's absence was due to the fact that he was petrified that Letsile Tebogo might show him another COVID-inducing pair of heels. COVID is still here.
