The Botswana men’s 4x400m relay has automatically qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after winning their heat during the World Athletics Relays clocking the fastest time of 2:59.73 in Nassau, The Bahamas, over the weekend.
Letsile Tebogo showcased his sprinting strength after running from position five to take the lead after receiving the baton from Isaac Makwala. Tebogo handed the baton to Leungo Scotch who fought off a tough battle against Wayde van Niekek setting off the 400m World leader, Bayapo Ndori who brushed off South Africa’s Lythe Pillay to give Botswana the much needed victory. South Africa finished in the second position with a season’s best (SB) of 2:58.73.
Tebogo proved that he is a force to reckon with in sprints posting the fastest split of 43.49s. Makwala registered the slowest split of 47.67s, Scotch brought home 44.62 while Ndori ran 43.95s.
Botswana was part of the eight teams that qualified for Olympics in each of the five disciplines that were contested for in Nassau on the opening day of competition. Three nations, France, Great Britain & Northern Ireland and United States of America each qualified four teams for Paris, while another three, Canada, Italy and Poland qualified three each. Botswana has qualified for Paris together with Belgium, Germany, Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Italy, Japan, Nigeria and South Africa.
Teams competed for prize money and Olympic lane seeding positions in the finals. All other teams raced in the additional round where the top two teams in each of the three heats qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Meanwhile, the quartet of Nancy Budzani, Christine Botlogetswe, Batisane Kennekae and Galefele Moroko finished in position six in the women’s 4x400m relay with a time of 3:40.65 in a heat that was won by Poland in 3:27.11 while France finished second in 3:28.06.Mixed 4x400m relay team also finished in position six in 3:18.48 with victory claimed by Poland in 3:13.53 with France finishing second in 3:14.71 while Ukraine finished the heat in the third spot to register a time of 3:15.70. The team registered individual splits of Collen Kebinatshipi (45.94s), Lydia Jele (53.40s), Anthony Pesela (45.31s), and Obakeng Kamberuka (53.83s).At the moment, athletics is the only sporting code with athletes who have qualified for the Olympics. At individual level, athletes who have stamped their tickets to Paris are Tebogo (100m and 200m), Scotch (400), Ndori (400m), Tshepiso Masalela (800m) and Kethobogile Haingura (800m).
