Makwala, Thebe chasing the pack as Diamond League nears completion

BONGANI MALUNGA

Botswana’s 400m duo Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe are chasing the IAAF Diamond League’s chasing pack in the 400m category as the grand finale is fast approaching. Both athletes will have a chance to put up points on the scoring board in the next IAAF Diamond League series which will be held in Rabat, Morocco on Friday.
The men’s 400m race, which could feature both Makwala and Thebe will start at 21:04 (CAT), the race will be live on Supersport 8. There are three more races to go before the Diamond League finale, after the Rabat race the Diamond League will shift to Monaco but the next 400m race will be in London on the 21st of July, it will be followed by the Birmingham edition on August 18.
Botswana’s sprint kings will have to record impressive results in the next three races to be a part of the top seven racers who will battle for the 400m Diamond League crown in the grand finale in Zurich, Switzerland on August 30. Of the two Botswana stars, Thebe is the one in danger of missing out on qualifying for the grand finale if he does not perform well in the next three races.
Thebe is currently ranked 9th in the 400m standings, two places outside the top seven, with only four points collected so far. The African 400m champion has not participated in many Diamond League races this year, he now has three more opportunities to keep up with the leading pack and qualify for the final.
Makwala, who is the defending 400m Diamond League champion, is ranked third in the 400m standings in this year’s competition with 13 points, he is behind Steven Gardiner (16 points) and Abdalleleh Haroun (20 points).
The Commonwealth Games gold medal winner will be motivated by the fact that he is yet to win a race in the competition this year, he has consistently finished in the top three in the Diamond League races he has participated in this season.
Meanwhile, Botswana’s 400m star Christine Botlogetswe made her season debut in the women’s 400m race in Lausanne last week, she finished seventh in the race but she is expected to improve as she gets used to the competition.