Montsho stands the test of time

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.