“This is just the beginning,” the record-buster said in a post-race interview in which he also praised his hosts for their hospitality
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana’s 800m track runner, Boitumelo Masilo, has made it into the history books of Botswana athletics by breaking the national 600m record that was set by the sensational Glody Dube 23 years ago in Sidney, Australia.
Tightly-contested
Masilo clocked 1.14.91 in the men’s 600m, beating Dube’s longstanding 1.15.00 in a tightly-contested track and field championships race in Sasolburg, South Africa over the weekend.
The 27-year old has been training with a Potchefstroom track club under the tutelage of Coach Jean Vester for over six months. In a post-race interview, the record-buster spoke of how the results reflected the hard work he has been putting into his training.
“I am happy with the progress that I have made so far,” he said. “This is just the beginning and I believe this record will serve as motivation for me to do better and achieve more.
“This is a very busy year in terms of major events, and everyone wants to qualify for the World Championships and eventually the Olympics. So I need to work hard to achieve all this.
Focused
“I am happy with the treatment I am getting this side. Everyone is focused and we are pushing each other to clock better times ahead of these highly-anticipated events.”
Masilo joins a long line of his compatriots like Isaac Makwala, Letsile Tebogo, Nijel Amos, Amantle Montsho, Lydia Jele and Leungo Matlhaku whose names are synonymous with have national track records.
Background
He first rose to stardom in 2016 when he qualified for his first Olympics held in Brazil later in the same year but was knocked out in the first round. He holds a Personal Best (PB) of 1:45.74 that he clocked in the Netherlands last year. Here at home, Masilo is ranked 2nd after Amos in the 800m.
He was also a part of the Botswana 4 X 400m relay team that won a bronze medal at the 2021 World Relays in Poland.
Teammates
Meanwhile, Botswana senior national team athletes are currently in Los Angeles, USA for two weeks of an intensive training programme in preparation for the World Championships that are due in August in Budapest, Hungary.
The team comprises Letsile Tebogo, Zibani Ngozi, Bayapo Ndori and Leungo Scotch under the guidance of Coach Kebonyemodisa Mosimanyane.