BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana’s 800m star Nijel Amos has solidified his place in African athletics folklore by becoming the first ever athlete to win the African 800m title on three successive occasions. Amos clinched a gold medal this past week in the 2018 African Championships in Athletics held in Asaba, Nigeria.
Amos won the 2018 African 800m final with a time of (1:45.20) ahead of Emmanuel Kurir (Kenya) and Mostafa Smaili of Morocco in Nigeria to clinch the gold medal.
The only other 800m athletes who won back to back African titles were Kenyan athlete Samuel Koskei who won the 800m crown in 1984 and 1985 as well as Algeria’s Djabir Saïd-Guerni (2000 and 2002) and David Rudisha (2008 and 2010)
The Marobela native equalled their feats by winning a gold medal in the 800m category in 2014 and 2016, his latest triumph has seen him eclipse Guerni, Koskei and Rudisha’s records by becoming the first to record a treble of successive 800m gold medals.
Amos’ triumph took Botswana’s total medal tally at the Nigerian held competition to three.
Baboloki Thebe successfully defended his African 400m title while Christine Botlogetswe grabbed a silver medal after finishing second in the women’s 400m final.