The Lima 24 championships will be held from August 27-31. The Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) has sent a team of 12 athletes, comprising six girls and the same number of boys to compete in the 200m, 400m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, and mixed relay. It is at the same competition where a young Letsile Tebogo blasted across the finish line to set the 100m World Under-20 record of 9.91 seconds in Cali, Colombia in 2022. The junior team leaves today as the nation is still celebrating the success of Paris 2024, where Tebogo won the country's first ever gold medal at the Olympics while the men’s 4x400m relay team delivered a silver medal.
The junior team's coach, Nico Manyepedza, told MmegiSport that preparations for the championships have gone according to plan. He said the team is ready to compete. “You could tell even during the last training on Wednesday. I was happy on a lot of things. There was a lot of improvement in what we have been doing. The plan is to reach the finals, where anything can happen. We are going there to compete,” he said. Regarding female athletes who have been struggling during international competitions, Manyepedza said they have a good team, but they should find out why they regress as they grow. “For a long time, we have had good athletes such as Winnie Sarefo and Boitshepiso Kelapile; now we have the likes of Obakeng Kamberuka and Golekanye Chikani. All these athletes are age mates. You wonder what goes wrong when it comes to performance. I believe that women athletes need financial motivation to go for training, but for boys, it is easy,” he said.
Manyepedza said the junior team has the potential to represent Botswana at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, adding that they should be protected and monitored. “I have always been against the use of enhancing substances. I do not want that anywhere near my team. The victory by the senior team serves as motivation for us, not as pressure,” Manyepedza said. Team captain Ernest Kamevu from the Francistown Athletics Club, who will compete in the 200m and 400m race, said he aims to improve his time. "My goal in Lima is to break my 400m Personal Best (PB) of 45.89s and reach the final. I do not have pressure. Like I said, I am looking forward to dropping a new PB. I started preparing for Lima a long time back. I have been waiting for the camp to start, and it started last week," he said. Thabang Charles Monngathipa from the Jwaneng Athletics Club, who competed in Cali two years back, is also targeting to lower his records.
He will compete in the 400m and 4x400m relay teams. "I have the same goal as my colleague; to improve my PB from 46.26s and reach the final. When I reach the final, anything is possible. I am not under pressure despite the Olympic team's achievements. I have been here before. By then, I was 17-years-old when I was part of the 4x400m mixed relay in Cali 2022," he said. "I was in the team with Collen Kebinatshipi. I am happy to see Kebinatshipi where he is at the moment because he is my training partner. We started preparing together for this season in December," Monngathipa added. Seventeen-year-old Ame Bogoma, based at the Good Hope Centre of Excellence, will compete in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m mixed relay. "I am a 400m runner with a PB of 56.12s, but in Lima, I will be in the relay teams. I do not want to raise my expectations. The most important thing for me is to break my PB and reach the final. My role model is Amantle Montsho and I want to follow in her footsteps," Bogoma said.
The full team Boys Full name: Ernest Kamevu Club: Francistown Athletics Club Event: 200m and 400m Personal Best (PB): 21.11s (200m) 45.89s (400m)
Full name: Thabang Charles Monngathipa Club: Jwaneng Athletics Club Event: 400m and 4x400m relay Personal Best (PB): 46.26s (400m)
Full name: Keorapetse Oreokame Club: Francistown Athletics Club Event: 400m and 4x400m relay Personal Best (PB): 46.32s
Full name: Seleka Lefatshe Club: Jwaneng Athletics Club Event: 400m, 4x400m relay and 4x400m mixed relay PB: 47.29s
Full name: Justice Oratile Club: Lefika Athletics Club Event: 4x400m and 4x400m mixed relay PB: 47.71s
Full name: Fredrick Mathathi Club: Mmadinare Athletics Club Event: 4x400m and 4x400m mixed relay PB: 48.09s
Girls Full name: Ame Bogoma Club: Good Hope Centre of Excellence Event: 4x100m relay and 4x400m mixed relay Personal Best (PB): (100m) 56.12s (400m)
Full name: Sethunya Majama Club: Lefika Athletics Club Event: 200m and 4x100m relay PB: 24.17s (200m), 11.94s (100m)
Full name: Same Mhutsiwa Clubs: Jwaneng Athletics Club Event: 4x100m relay PB: 12.09s (100m)
Full name: Kelebonye Otela Club: Maun Track and Field Club Event: 4x100m relay PB: 12.20s (100m)
Full name: Warona Thonisani Club: Lefika Athletics Club Event: 4x100m and 4x400m mixed relay PB: 57.67s (400m)
Full name: Wedu Matiwe Club: Lion’s Den Athletics Club Event: 4x100m and 4x400m mixed relay PB: 58.90
Officials: Isaac Mbise (team manager), Johnson Kubisa (assistant coach), Lucricia Olebogeng Mosweswe (medic), Aldrian Majaye (safeguarding officer), and Donald Steady (administration officer).
