Botswana claims Africa’s first 4x400m gold in Tokyo News

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Botswana claims Africa’s first 4x400m gold in Tokyo

By Daily Sports Nigeria on September 22, 2025

Botswana’s burning desire to win a global men’s 4x400m title could not be quenched either by a torrential downpour or a United States quartet set on maintaining its huge tradition in an event where gold has gone to the Stars and Stripes in nine of the past 10 editions.

When US anchor leg runner Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdles champion, carried a two-metre lead into the final straight it, seemed as if the USA – despite what looked like a catastrophic start to this competition in the previous day’s heats – were set for another visit to the top of the podium.

Behind him, South Africa – winners at the World Athletics Relays – and Olympic silver medallists Botswana appeared to be contesting silver.

And when Zakithi Nene, added to the team having finished fifth in the individual final, came on strong on the outside, it looked as if South Africa would win that contest and perhaps even put final pressure on Benjamin.

But there was one final twist remaining on a track glistening with rain under the aptly named floodlights as the slight figure of Collen Kebinatshipi somehow floated through the middle of his two challengers, just as he had in winning the individual 400m title, to bring Botswana home to their longed-for gold in 2:57:76.

Benjamin, who had no chance to react to this final surge, edged the United States to silver by two-thousandths of a second as they shared the same given time with South Africa of 2:57:83.

No one would have been happier for the result than Botswana’s second-leg runner, Letsile Tebogo, who had helped them take Olympic silver in Paris after winning the individual 200m title but who had seen the other side of fortune in Tokyo after being disqualified for a false start in the 100m final and missing out on a 200m medal by one place, despite clocking 19.65.

Tebogo had put Botswana back level with the United States after making up ground on Jacory Patterson on the second leg with a super-fast split of 44.05.

Bayapo Ndori, the 400m bronze medallist and another of the Paris 2024 silver medallists, kept them in the hunt before handing over to the ethereal talent of Kebinatshipi – who delivered once again in stupendous fashion.

Tebogo, delighted, was the one to instigate Botswana’s celebrations as the four young men in pale blue shirts high-stepped their way deliriously through sloshing puddles with the zest of Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain.

A United States quartet entirely different from the one that contested the final had finished outside qualification after coming home sixth in their heat. But they were able to progress after beating Kenya in a run-off earlier in the day after it had been decided that they had both been impeded by the Zambian team who were subsequently disqualified.

South Africa’s challenge had been kept alive by an inspired third-leg run from their 33-year-old 400m world record-holder Wayde Van Niekerk.

Fourth place went to the consistently talented Belgian team, who clocked 2:59:48 ahead of Qatar in 3:01:64, with Great Britain taking sixth place in 3:03:05.

Source Punch Ng

Posted September 22, 2025