13 Apr 2025

The newly refurbished Nation Stadium track has produced World Championship qualifying times, National Record and Personal Best times.

The icing on the cake was when Botswana’s finest 800 metre runner, Oratile Nowe qualified for the World Championship clocking a time of 1:58.96 on home soil.

Nowe also smashed her 800 metre National Record, obliterating the 1.59.22 she set on April 4 at the Cape Milers Club ASA Grand Prix meeting in Cape Town.

She beat Sarah Moraa of Kenya and Charne Swart of South Africa who clocked 1:59.46 and 2:00.01 respectively.

Nowe shared with BOPA how happy she was to qualify on home soil, on a new track, adding that it was a ‘package’ she had been preparing for the nation.

She said she had been preparing well for the FNB Grand Prix and together with her team, their aim was to give the nation something to remember them by.

“My name will forever be engraved in the stadium history, to say I had qualified on the refurbished track, on home soil,” she said.

Botswana athletes gave a stunning performance before President Advocate Duma Boko who graced the event, with 200 metre gold medalist, Letsile Tebogo winning his event with a Season Best time of 20.23 (-1.6), followed by South Africa’s Luxolo Adams with 20.42, while Kobe Vleminckx of Belgium settled for third with 20.45

In 400 metre men event, as expected Bayapo Ndori did not disappoint as he also clocked a Season Best time of 44.35, outclassing his track nemesis, South Africa’s Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay who finished second and third with 44.68 and 44.97 respectively.

Botswana dominated the 800 metre men’s event with Keithobogile Haingura clocking 1:44.18, followed by Tshepiso Masalela with 1:44.77s, while Laban Chepkwony of Kenya finished third with 1:45.38 Refilwe Murangi recorded a Personal Best time of 11.54 followed by Tshepang Manyika with 11.73 while Sethunya Majama settled for third with 11.82, a clean sweep by Botswana in the women’s 100 metre race.

The men’s 100 metres was a total showdown, which saw South Africa’s Akani Simbine stopping the clock with a new World Lead of 9.90, Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya clocked 10.00 to claim second position, while Retshidisitswe Mlenga of South Africa clocked 10.15 to finish third.

In the shot put final, Italian Weir Zane finished first with 20.83, while his countryman, Fabbri Leonard settled for second with 20.64, followed by South Africa’s Blignaut Kayle with 20.32.  ENDS