Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) has sent a total of 32 local aathletes to Mauritius to represent the country at the ongoing Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) 22nd African Senior Athletics Championships.
The Championships began on June 8 and they will end on June 12. Team Botswana left on June 6, and is expected to return home on the 13.
A send-off ceremony was held by Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) in Gaborone to motivate the athletes. The team is made up of thirty-nine (39) members of which thirty-two (32) are athletes and seven (7) are officials. The athletes will compete in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m races, 110 hurdles, 400hudles and 4x400m relay.
The men’s squad consists some of the most talented athletes including Anthony Pesela the gold medallist at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2021, Leungo Scotch who set a new personal best of 45.27s to win the men’s 400 metres event at 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco.
It also consist of Bayapo Ndori and Zibani Ngozi who competed in the men’s 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won the bronze medal. Letsile Tebogo a 100m gold medallist winner at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Nairobi, becoming the first Botswana athlete to win a gold medal in the 100m event at World Championship level will also be amongst the participants.
The national women’s contingent features Leungo Matlhaku a bronze medal winner in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games who has also won several medals at regional level.
Christine Botlogetswe who competed at the 2016 Olympics, clocking a non-qualifying 52.37 in the first round will also be part of the women’s contingent. Lydia Jele who participated in the relay at the 2013 World Championships and also ran the 400 meters at the 2016 Summer Olympics is also amongst the team.
In an interview this week, BAA Vice President Admin Oabona Theetso explained that the African Senior Athletics Championships will determine the athletes who will be qualifying for the World Championships, Commonwealth games and Under 20 games. He expressed hope that the local athletes will bring home some medals as they have been working hard to prepare for the games attending competitions locally and internationally.
“We congratulate all the athletes who have met the qualifying standards and we are hopeful that they will make us proud as they battle with some of the best in the continent,” Theetso told Times Sports.
The 21st African Senior Athletics Championships was held in Nigeria, Asaba from the 1st to 5th August 2018 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium. A total of four Batswana athletes Baboloki Thebe, Onkabetse Nkobolo, Christine Botlogetswe and Nijel Amos made it to the quarter-finals of the competition.
