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Trinbago brings no joy for Botswana

Learning curve: The team that represented Botswana at the Commonwealth Youth Games PIC: BNOC
Learning curve: The team that represented Botswana at the Commonwealth Youth Games PIC: BNOC

The 2023 Trinbago Youth Commonwealth Games, hosted by Trinidad and Tobago, are set to conclude tomorrow, marking the end of the event without any victories for Botswana.

Team Botswana consisted of a delegation of 27 members, including 18 athletes and nine officials. Despite their valiant efforts, the competition has proven to be formidable.

Amongst the athletes were two swimmers, Gaamangwe Junior Keitsile and Kyra Harry, both of whom fell short of podium success. Keitsile participated in two events, namely the men's 50m freestyle and 200m butterfly. However, neither Keitsile nor Harry managed to secure a spot in the top tier of their respective races. In the women's 50m butterfly, Harry could not advance to the next round, finishing third with a time of 31.65s. Similarly, Keitsile faced a setback, failing to progress in both his races.

He secured fifth place with a time of 26.27s in the men's 50m butterfly and landed eighth with a time of 1:07.78 in the 100m backstroke event. Shifting to athletics, Sethunya Majama displayed determination by reaching the semi-finals. However, she could not advance further, finishing sixth in the women's 200m semi-finals with a time of 24.99s.

Kelebonye Otela's journey also ended in the semi-finals, securing eighth place with a time of 25.72s in the women's 200m event. In the men's 200m semi-finals, Onkarabile Ramotsitsi attained sixth place with a time of 22.19s, but his performance did not qualify him for the finals.

The 4x400m mixed relay team failed to achieve success, finishing fifth with a time of 3:44.27s in the semi-finals of the mixed relay event and subsequently departing the competition. The netball team faced a challenging match, suffering a 47-8 defeat against England. The competition is set to conclude tomorrow. (Additional information from Botswana National Olympic Committee)

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