The meet, which faced uncertain moments due to the delay in finalising the renovation of the stadium, specifically the track, lived up to the high expectations. The athletes put on a great show for the spectators. Stealing the show was Oratile Nowe, middle distance runner whose outstanding performance not only saw her take the first position but also saw her smash the national record and qualify for Tokyo. She qualified for World Championships after winning the women's 800m with a time of 1.58.96 in front of her home crowd. She finished ahead of Moraa Sarah from Kenya and Swart Charne from South Africa.
"This is really great for me and it has been long time coming for me. I am really happy about this and the race was really a great one," she said. Local sprint sensation, Letsile Tebogo, captivated the home crowd by winning the mens' 200m in front of the home crowd for the first time since winning the country's first Olympic Gold medal in Paris, France. In his first 200m race of the season, Tebogo shut it down towards the finishing line and won the race with an unofficial time of 20.23 seconds, making it his seasons' best time for the time being. Tebogo finished ahead of South Africa's Adams Luxulo and Vleminckcx Kobe from Belgium. Speaking after the race, the Olympic 200m champion stated that it was not all about hitting sub 20 seconds in his race but making sure he finishes the race injury free. "Ahead of the race I had a knock in the hamstring and the plan for today was just to go out there and make sure that we finish the race fresh with no injuries so that we can prepare for other races. And this was just the first one of the season and I am happy," he said.
The men's' 400m was another spectacle with Bayapo Ndori delivering the second fastest time of the season in the 400m. In a star studded line-up that included Zakhiti Nene and Lythe Pillay both from SA, Ndori stormed to 44.35s to win the 400m race. His blistering speed sent him into a frenzy and the time now places him at top of global rankings. Other local standouts include the women's 4x100m relay made up of Refilwe Murangi, Tsaone Sebele, Sethunya Majama, and Tshepang Manyika. The quartet smashed the national record with a time of 44.46s to win the race on home soil. Collen Kebinatshipi was another standout, running the 200m race, an unfamiliar sprint to him. He finished second in the race with a time of 20.13s, which saw him qualify for Tokyo in 200m. He has also qualified for the championships in 400m. Despite being marred by uncertainties on whether the track would be ready on time ahead of the event, the Grand Prix lived up to expectations.
