- Team Botswana storm to historic Gold at World Athletics Relays
Botswana’s men’s 4x400m relay giants delivered a performance for the ages, electrifying the National Stadium and sealing a historic gold medal at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 2026. The home crowd witnessed a night of speed, precision and immense national pride as the quartet produced the third-fastest time in history to cap a legendary weekend of world-class relay racing.
The championship-clinching heroes Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi combined to smash the competition record in 2:54.47, a stunning national record and the fastest time ever recorded at the World Relays. This victory was a majestic conclusion to the championships, with Botswana making a bold statement that this golden triumph was truly homegrown.
The final race of the weekend carried the heartbeat of a nation and Team Botswana excelled under immense pressure. Eppie set the tone with a powerful opening leg of 44.26 before handing over to Olympic 200m king Tebogo, who clocked 43.50 while battling fierce competition from South Africa and Australia. Ndori held Botswana firmly in contention on the third leg before world champion anchor Kebinatshipi produced the defining moment of the race.
With 200 metres remaining, Kebinatshipi ran shoulder-to-shoulder with South Africa’s Zakithi Nene and Australia’s Aidan Murphy, but roared on by a deafening home crowd, he surged clear in the final straight to seal gold and ignite celebrations across the stadium. South Africa finished second in 2:55.07 while Australia claimed bronze in 2:55.20, both among the fastest times ever recorded.
Botswana’s gold medal was the standout moment of a global relay festival that confirmed 72 automatic qualifiers for the World Athletics Championships Beijing 2027 and secured qualification for upcoming global competitions. The hosts not only captured the men’s 4x400m title but also qualified for the World Championships in both the men’s 4x400m and men’s 4x100m, marking a major milestone for Botswana sprinting. In the men’s 4x100m heats, Tebogo powered Botswana from fourth to second on the anchor leg, clocking a national record 37.96 to qualify the nation’s first-ever men’s 4x100m team for the World Championships.
The World Relays weekend also delivered world-class performances across the board. Jamaica set a mixed 4x100m world record and later improved it to 39.62 in the final, the United States dominated the mixed 4x400m with a championship record of 3:07.47, and Norway stunned the field to win the women’s 4x400m in a world-leading national record of 3:20.96.
Despite the international fireworks, the weekend belonged to Botswana, whose triumph marked the first World Athletics Series event ever hosted in the country and Africa. It all came down to how it ended with a defining moment in national sporting history as Team Botswana announced themselves as a global relay powerhouse, bringing home the diamond encrusted medal, $40 000 and the crowd to a roaring stand.
