Makwala’s journey to the world stage is captured in a new book, 'The Solo Runner: The Untold Story of Isaac Makwala' written by former athlete and academic, Tshepang Tshube. The 400m athlete's childhood is traced primarily to two settlements, Malelejwe and Tutume. According to excerpts in the book due to be released next month, Makwala grew up with his brothers herding goats and cattle at Malelejwe cattlepost, while his sisters helped their mothers cook and care for the younger siblings.
Both boys and girls fetched firewood and water for the family. At the time, Makwala as a 10-year-old boy would walk about three kilometres to fetch water with his siblings. These chores were done after school, on weekends and during school holidays. "There was nothing extraordinary about this practice because it was a common occurrence across communities in Botswana. At the time, Makwala did not have any thoughts or ambitions of being an elite athlete. He did not know there were people in the world who earned a living through sports. The few professions at his disposal were being a teacher, a driver or a soldier. Like many boys in his village, his dream was to become a soldier.
