It’s fitting that Letsile Tebogo’s first race of the season over 200m, the distance at which he won Olympic gold last year, will come on home soil at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – in Gaborone on Saturday (12).
Tebogo has raced a handful of times already this year, all over 400m, topped by a 45.26 clocking in Melbourne at the end of March. But he’s far more at home over 200m, especially when being cheered on by thousands of adoring fans who’ll be keen to see their star athlete in action.
It was at this competition in 2023 where Tebogo – still aged just 19 at the time – set a meeting record of 19.87. He went on to reduce that to 19.50 just three months later, then capped his season by taking world bronze in Budapest.
It was in 2024, however, when Tebogo achieved superstardom, taking Olympic gold in Paris with an African record of 19.46 and then following it with silver in the 4x400m, clocking one of the fastest relay splits in history (43.04).
Given it’s still in the early stages of what will be a long season – culminating with the World Championships in Tokyo in September – Tebogo won’t be looking to break any records any time soon. But he hopes to put in a winning performance in front of his home crowd as he takes on a field that includes Olympic relay teammate Collen Kebinatshipi, 19.82 performer Luxolo Adams of South Africa and Jamaica’s Tyquendo Tracey.
The men’s 100m should be of a similar high standard. Fresh from securing a long-awaited first individual global medal at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, South Africa’s Akani Simbine takes on his successor as African 100m record-holder, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala. Benjamin Richardson, another sub-10-second performer, is also in the field.
There are some quality one-lap races in store, too. In the women’s 400m hurdles, former world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad takes on world and Olympic finalist Gianna Woodruff of Panama, 2015 world bronze medallist Cassandra Tate and 2022 African champion Zeney Geldenhuys.
Olympic 4x400m silver medallist Bayapo Ndori of Botswana faces South Africa’s Lythe Pillay in the men’s 400m, while USA’s Courtney Okolo, Jamaica’s Candice McLeod and Egypt’s Basant Hemida clash in the women’s one-lap sprint.
One week after a thrilling showdown over 1500m, which resulted in PBs for both, Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela and South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite renew their rivalry, this time over 800m. Last week in Capetown, Masalela emerged victorious over the longer distance in a national record of 3:30.71 with Tshite finishing second in 3:32.03.
Masalela, who set a national record of 1:42.82 in the Olympic final last year, is more of an 800m specialist and will have home crowd advantage, but Tshite will be out for revenge.
The women’s 800m, meanwhile, looks set to be a clash between Kenya’s Sarah Moraa, the world U20 and African champion, and compatriot Naomi Korir.
Several global medallists will be in action in the field events.
In the men’s shot put, world silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri – who set a meeting record of 21.32m in Gaborone two years ago – takes on fellow Italian Zane Weir. Fabbri, who holds the Italian record of 22.98m, will be fired up after a frustrating indoor campaign where he missed out on making the final at the European Indoor Championships, then narrowly missed a medal at the World Indoor Championships.
Jo-Ane Van Dyk is the other star performer in the throws. The Olympic silver medallist leads the women’s javelin field and she’ll be looking to improve on her season’s best of 60.17m.
Newly crowned world indoor champion Claire Bryant headlines the women’s long jump entries, which also includes US compatriot Quanesha Burks.
The men’s long jump line-up, meanwhile, features 2017 world champion Luvo Manyonga, 2017 world bronze medallist Ruswahl Samaai, 2016 world indoor champion Marquis Dendy, and South Africa’s 8.30m performer Jovan van Vuuren.
Credit: World Athletics
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