Botswana’s national athletics team has come in for much deserved praise from Head Coach Justice Dipeba for its exceptional performance at the just-ended World Athletics Relays in China inspite of the absence of key athletes
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
Botswana’s athletics team delivered commendable performance at the recently-concluded World Athletics Relays at Guangdong Olympic Stadium in Guangzhou, China.
Although missing some of its most experienced athletes, the team made a mark and the national athletics head coach Justice Dipeba was immensely impressed.
Men’s 4x400m relay impresses
The men’s 4x400m relay team finished third in the final, securing a bronze medal with a season’s best time of 2:58.27. The team, comprising Bhekempilo Eppie, Justice Oratile, Kabo Rankgwe, and Leungo Scotch, had earlier clocked 3:01.23 in the heats to qualify for the final.
Their performance also secured them a spot at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan in September.
Reflecting on the outcome, Coach Dipeba noted that the competition offered valuable insights into the team’s potential. “We are impressed with the results, considering that it’s not the strongest team we have,” Dipeba said.
“They did their best, especially the 4x400m and 4x100m relay teams. All relays performed well, and we aim to improve in future competitions.”
4x100m sets national record
The nation’s men’s 4x100m relay team had a mixed outing. They finished third in heat three of the World Championships Qualifying Round with a time of 38.53s, having previously set a national record of 38.49s in the heats but failing to make the final.
All teams that missed the finals at the World Relays had to compete in a repechage round known as the World Championships Qualifying Round. For Botswana this included the just-mentioned men’s 4x100m relay team, the 4x400m mixed relay team, and the women’s 4x400m relay team.
The 4x400m mixed relay team finished sixth in heat two of the World Championships Qualifying Round 2 with a season-best time of 3:19.11, also failing to qualify for the World Championships. The women’s 4x400m relay team faced the same problem, ending in the last place in heat one of the same round, recording a time of 3:34.62.
Balancing experience and youth
Dipeba acknowledged the challenge of competing without the team’s most seasoned athletes such as Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori and Collen Kebinatshipi. As he pointed out, only Leungo Scotch had significant international experience among the 4x400m relay team members.
“The rest of the team is young or relatively new to this level, but they still delivered a good time in the final,” said the coach. “This shows that we can sometimes rest our more experienced athletes and bring them in only for key moments, allowing the younger ones to gain exposure.”
Women’s relay needs support
Regarding the women’s 4x400m team’s underwhelming performance, Dipeba called for more intentional support. “We need to ensure that the women perform at a high level,” he said.
“There has been some progress because this year we had about three athletes running around 53 seconds, which is better than last year. However, we still need to invest in their training and participation in quality competitions.”
The head coach also pointed out the shift in regional dominance, noting that Botswana used to outperform South Africa in the women’s 4x400m relay.
“South Africa is bow beating us, which shows they are doing something right in terms of high-performance training,” he said. “We need to adopt a similar approach to remain competitive.”
Building on success
Dipeba expressed confidence in Botswana’s rising reputation in relay events continuing to grow, even without the presence of key athletes.
“Some countries must be wondering how we managed this without our strongest runners,” he said. “This success is due to the dedication of coaches throughout Botswana who consistently nurture top-quality athletes.”