Botswana’s historic home World Relays triumph is among three moments competing for World Athletics’ inaugural Moment of the Year award
BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana’s record-breaking men’s 4x400m relay triumph on home soil has earned another shot at global recognition after being named among the three finalists for the inaugural World Athletics Moment of the Year award.
The memorable victory at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone will go up against Josh Kerr’s world mile record and Sabastian Sawe’s historic sub-two-hour marathon when the winner is announced at the World Athletics Awards in Monaco on November 29.
Botswana’s nomination adds another dimension to an already strong presence at this year’s awards after Collen Kebinatshipi was nominated for the Men’s World Athlete of the Year accolade.
NOMINATED ON TWO FRONTS
Kebinatshipi is therefore in contention for recognition on two fronts. He was part of the relay quartet whose Gaborone heroics have reached the Moment of the Year final, while his outstanding individual season earned him a place among the 10 nominees for the sport’s biggest individual honour. The Moment of the Year nomination stems from one of Botswana athletics’ defining performances of 2026.
Lee Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori and Kebinatshipi stormed to victory in the men’s 4x400m final at the National Stadium on May 3, clocking 2:54.47. The performance set a World Relays championship record and improved Botswana’s African record as the hosts defeated South Africa, who finished second in 2:55.07, while Australia took third in 2:55.20.
Kebinatshipi produced a blistering 43.09-second anchor leg to complete the home triumph, after Eppie, Tebogo and Ndori had kept Botswana firmly in contention.
ELEVATED INTO THE FINAL THREE
The performance initially joined 17 other contenders on the Moment of the Year longlist, but a public vote through the World Athletics app elevated Botswana into the final three. Botswana now faces two landmark individual performances for the prize. Great Britain’s Josh Kerr is nominated after smashing the world mile record with a 3:42.66 performance in London.
Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe completes the shortlist after becoming the first man to break two hours in a record-eligible marathon, producing a world record 1:59:30 in London.
World Athletics created the award to recognise a moment capable of generating emotion and inspiration beyond an individual performance, a description that places the electrifying scenes surrounding Botswana’s victory before its home crowd firmly in contention for the accolade.