Busang Collen Kebinatshipi went into the men’s 400m semi-final as a dark horse after his miscalculation of the race during the preliminary round.
However, hedid not allow the situation to affect his semi-final race, where he shocked the world by posting a new Personal Best (PB), National Record (NR) and World Lead (WL) of 43.61. Kebinatshipi emerged from a strong group which included Jereem Richards (44.12) and Jacory Patterson (44.19) who both advanced to the final on the strength of their times.
Speaking after the race, Kebinatshipi said running a world lead means there is a lot that will have to do during the final after running a comfortable race. “It is just my mind that has not been ready, my body has always been ready. I just have to take a rest, sharpen my mind for final,” he said.
Kebinatshipi’s coach, Chippa Ntshwarang said he did not expect a National Record from his athlete and it was a huge achievement for Lee Bhekempilo Eppie and Bayapo Ndori to have reached the final as well. “I observed Kebinatshipi’s strides during training in Seoul, South Korea that he was fit and ready for the competition, but I did not expect him to be this fast. We are waiting for a podium finish at the final,” Ntshwarang said.
