Botswana's rise to the top of men's sprinting has been nothing short of remarkable. The country, larger than Spain but with a population of only 2.5 million, celebrated a fairytale ending to the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone. In the final straight, Collen Kebinatshipi surged past South Africa's Zakithi Nene to win the men's 4x400m relay, igniting a sea of light blue-clad home fans.
Historic Achievements
Letsile Tebogo, the reigning 200m Olympic champion, who ran the second leg, emphasized the significance of the victory. "It means so many things to us," he said. "Not just the team ... but for the people that always cheer for us behind the TV. Now they had that experience to see first-hand how much effort, how much pressure, how much we give for them."
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe praised the electric atmosphere, ranking it among the best he has ever witnessed. "I put that atmosphere in the top three that I've experienced live in athletics," he stated, likening it to Cathy Freeman's win in Sydney and Mo Farah's 10,000m gold in London.
Tebogo's Olympic gold in Paris 2024 was Botswana's first-ever and its fourth medal overall. The men's 4x400m relay team secured silver, improving on bronze from three years earlier. At the world championships in Tokyo last year, Kebinatshipi won the 400m, and the relay team he anchored also took gold.
Superstar Status
The athletes have become national icons, their faces adorning billboards for everything from mobile phones to milk. Kebinatshipi, who started running at school, now allocates half an hour for photos with fans during shopping trips. "At first I was a bit nervous, because I wasn't used to it ... Nowadays I'm used to it, so it's cool with me," he said.
Secrets to Success
Years-long investment in young athletes is a key driver of success, according to sports officials. Mabua Mabua, CEO of the Botswana Athletics Association, credited school sports programs. "I must thank the school sports programmes that we used to have, because basically all of the athletes that you are seeing, the youthful ones, are coming from that programme," he said.
He also highlighted local infrastructure. "All of the preparations for the team are done locally. Normally people say: 'No, they should go to Europe, USA, for preparations'. It's local coaches, a local environment."
The Botswana National Sports Commission runs talent identification programs for 15 sports. Re Ba Bona Ha ("We See Them Here") is a coaching initiative for children aged five to 13, launched for football in 2002 and expanded to athletics in 2008. Up to 300 children attend athletics sessions annually, said Frederick Kebadiretse, BNSC's sports development manager.
Twice-yearly holiday camps identify older students for eight centers of sports excellence, founded in 2011. These centers offer weekday afternoon and weekend training, selecting 30 to 40 students for athletics each year.
Threats to Progress
However, the school sports program was suspended in 2019 due to a dispute between the government and teachers. Officials warn that without it, Botswana's athletics success is at risk. "The pipeline is not there," said Martin Mokgwathi, chair of the world relays organizing committee. "[Performance] will dip unless something is done very, very quickly."
Women's Athletics
Botswana's female athletes have not yet matched the men's results. Oratile Nowe, the seventh fastest woman this year over 800m, is the current highest performer. Officials acknowledge the need for more support. "We need to widen the pipeline so we can get more and more young women to join," Mokgwathi said. "The other thing, of course, is to encourage more and more women to become coaches and technical officials ... And we need to protect young women coming into the sport, so that they stay."
Inspiring the Next Generation
Isaac Makwala, a former sprint star and the first man to run 400m under 44 seconds and 200m under 20 seconds in the same day, is working to fill the pipelines. After retiring in 2024, he founded the Isaac Makwala Athletics Academy, training about 50 athletes aged 12 to 16 five afternoons a week. "I have a daughter here, she drives me to be a coach," he said. "I want to see how well she will run after. Did she take her talent from me?"
His daughter, Resego Kelly Makwala, became Botswana's under-18 girls champion in 400m at age 14. "I do really like it," she said. "The times. When I make good times, PBs [personal bests]."
The academy relies on motivated parents who can afford the 100 pula (£5.50) registration and 500 pula monthly fees. Tuduetso Gaboutloeloe, a tax collector, hopes for a scholarship for her daughter Leloba, 13, who runs 800m. "I want to be honest with you, the way the economy is bad, I want to see [my daughter] going places, maybe getting a scholarship so she can progress very well," she said. Leloba dreams of Olympic success. "I do imagine myself winning medals," she said.
