An interesting battle was expected between Botswana and the USA following the rivalry between the two nations. Botswana pulled a shocker by snatching the 4x400m title during the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. USA Track and Field (USATF) will send teams in the other four events: mixed 4x100m, mixed 4x400m, men’s 4x100m, and women’s 400x100m. In a statement, USATF chief content and communications officer Jay Holder said the decision was made for two reasons: firstly, that it was difficult for them to find top-tier US athletes who want to go to Gaborone. The other reason was that a lot of A-team athletes have expressed that they are not interested in competing at the World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26.
“The financial costs of sending B or even C teams to Botswana are really significant. We just feel like there is potentially a better use of resources for programming for those relays that can drive those funds towards our medal goals for 2027 and 2028,” Holder said. Olympic champion and a member of the 4x400m relay champions, Letsile Tebogo, reacted to the decision by the Americans via a Social Media post. “First, we took the 4x400 gold right out of their hands in Tokyo last year. Now, they are unable to show up to the 2026 World Relays in our own backyard?"
