Today may marks exactly a week after the historic World Athletics Relays finals in Botswana, but one still gets goosebumps and flashbacks just from thinking about the festivities that took place at the National Stadium in Gaborone.
The less said about the boisterous crowd at the National Stadium, the better, because what Botswana did, especially on the final day of the World Relays, was second to none and must be commended.
Botswana became the first nation to host the World Relays on African soil, and boy, did they not come to the party and show off to the rest of the world what Africa is all about.
At some point, I felt like Botswana owed me a pair of eardrums because of the deafening cheers. The race that left me with a partial hearing loss was the men’s 4x400m final, where the host walked away with the gold and SA with the silver – a race that will go down as one of the best relays of all time.
The stadium was bouncing, and by the time Busang Kebinatshipi crossed the finish line, the crowd erupted, and the noise level was 1 000, as Botswana completed a men’s 4x400m in a competition record of 2:54.47.
Our South African athletes, Akani Simbine, Lythe Pillay, Zakithi Nene and Bradley Nkoana, came to the party and lived up to the expectation of helping the team return home with the diamond-engraved medals.
It was the first time medals had been engraved with natural diamonds.
According to Botswana’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, Bogolo Joy Kenewendo, the medals symbolise provenance, authenticity, and the power of the Diamond Nation Botswana is.
Taking a short left from South Africa to Botswana, like any traveller, I did my research about the country and what it’s all about ahead of the event..
Apart from the much-anticipated races, being at the heart of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, and attending the Media Academy, one of the things I was looking forward to seeing was the 50 Pula, which has the face of Botswana’s “Diamond” Letsile Tebogo.
On September 12 last year, the Bank of Botswana unveiled a redesigned 50 Pula banknote to mark its 50th anniversary, and it had none other than the 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, Botswana’s first-ever gold medallist.
The note also features the 4x400m relay teammates Bayapo Ndori, Anthony Pesela, and Kebinatshipi, who brought home the silver medal from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
The South African athletes who were incredible and to keep an eye on in the future were the likes of Bradley Maponyane, Mthi Mthimkhulu, Leendert Koekemoer, and Cheswill Johnson.
On the women’s side, Joviale Mbisha, Viwe Jingqi, Kayla La Grange and Gabriella Marais raised the South African flag high, as they set a national record of 43.22s in the women’s 4x100m heats. So, the overall experience deep in the trenches of the Diamond City was amazing, and I would not trade it for anything in this world.
Monoalibe’s excursion to Botswana was sponsored by World Athletics for the 2026 Media Academy.
- The World Athletics Relays finals took place in Botswana, concluding a week ago.
- The event was held at the National Stadium in Gaborone.
- The finals were described as historic and emotionally impactful.
- The article evokes strong memories and excitement from the festivities.
- Full coverage is available through the Sunday World e-edition.
Today may marks exactly a week after the historic World
Botswana became the first nation to host the World Relays on African soil, and boy, did they not come to the party and show off to the rest of the world what Africa is all about.
At some point, I felt like Botswana owed me a pair of eardrums because of the deafening cheers.
Our
It was the first time medals had been engraved with natural diamonds.
Apart from the much-anticipated races, being at the heart of Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, and attending the Media Academy, one of the things I was looking forward to seeing was the 50 Pula, which has the face of Botswana’s “
On
On the women’s side, Joviale
Monoalibe’s excursion to Botswana was sponsored by World
