Global athletics icons are expected to begin to arrive in Gabs on Wednesday ahead of 12 April event
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
With just days to the 2025 FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Gaborone, preparations for the prestigious track and field meet are “at an advanced stage”.
“We are pushing hard,” said the spokesman of the event, Calistus Kolantsho, in a telephone interview. “This is a national project that involves different departments and ministries.
“This is because athletes will be coming from different countries, which means there are requirements and rules that need such departments and ministries.”
Ticket sales soaring
The Golden Grand Prix, now a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event, is fast solidifying its reputation as one of Africa’s premier track meets.
Kolantsho said athletes are expected to begin arriving on Wednesday to acclimate and familiarise themselves with the newly resurfaced track, which will host its first official competition on the big day, Saturday.
In a clear sign of the meet’s growing popularity, ticket sales are soaring, with VIP and grandstand sections already sold out. “This shows that Batswana and people of other nationalities really like this event,” said Kolantsho.
Diamond League
“It shows that they have trust in us, and I won’t be surprised if World Athletics gives us Diamond League status in the near future.”
He took the opportunity to extend gratitude to corporate sponsors of the event, singling out FNB and Orange as key partners. “We thank all our sponsors for the trust they have shown in us,” he said. “We hope to continue building on this momentum and take the race to even greater heights.”
The 2025 edition will feature a stellar lineup of Olympic medalists, world champions and record holders from across the globe.
World-class competition
Leading the men’s events is Botswana’s own Letsile Tebogo, the reigning Olympic 200m champion, who will compete on home soil in both the 100m and 200m sprints.
Tebogo is expected to square off against some of the sport’s biggest names, including Canada’s Andre De Grasse, South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk, and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.
The men’s 100m is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated races of the evening. With Omanyala, De Grasse, and South Africa’s Akani Simbine each boasting personal bests of under 9.90 seconds, fireworks are expected.
In the 200m, Tebogo will again go head-to-head with De Grasse, Van Niekerk, and Canada’s Jerome Blake in what could be a preview of the 2025 World Championships.
From Europe and America
Botswana’s 400m specialists Bayapo Ndori and Leungo Scotch will have a chance to impress in front of a home crowd, while middle-distance star Tshepiso Masalela will test himself in the 800m against a formidable Kenyan trio of Ferguson Rotich, Nicholas Kiplagat and Justice Kipkoech.
American athletes will also have a strong presence at the meet. World relay champion Trevor Bassitt is set to run in the 400m hurdles while world indoor champion Marquis Dendy will compete in the men’s long jump.
Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri, the European champion and world silver medalist, will headline the men’s shot put.
On the women’s side, sprint icon Marie-Josée Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast will be the face of the 100m race where she will be challenged by two-time world indoor champion Nia Ali and former world champion Quanera Hayes of the United States.
New surface
The women’s 800m will feature Bahrain’s Nelly Jepkosgei, Kenya’s Sara Moraa and Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew.
In the field events, South Africa’s Ja-Ane van Dyk, the Olympic silver medalist, will look to dominate in the women’s javelin, while America’s Dalilah Muhammad, an Olympic and two-time world champion in the 400m hurdles, will add more pedigree to the star-studded list.
This year’s Grand Prix will also mark the official debut of the National Stadium’s newly laid synthetic track, a project completed in early 2025. Kolantsho said organisers are hoping the surface will contribute to fast times and memorable performances.
Something even bigger
“It will be nice for athletes to run good times on the new track,” he said. “This is the beginning of something even bigger.”
With world-class athletes, a packed stadium and growing international recognition, the 2025 FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix is poised to deliver a spectacle befitting its ambition – and perhaps pave the way for Botswana’s first Diamond League berth.