Botswana has declared Monday, 29 September, a national public holiday to celebrate the country’s unprecedented triumph in the men’s 4×400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Afrosport reports.
On Sunday, the relay quartet of Lee Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi produced a stunning display in a rain-soaked final. Botswana edged out the United States, who had claimed the previous 10 world titles, while South Africa secured third place to complete an African 1-3 on the podium.
The remarkable feat makes Botswana the first African nation ever to win gold in the event, breaking the US decade-long dominance.
The announcement, meanwhile, comes just a day before the country’s Independence Day, heightening a sense of national pride and jubilation.
President Duma Boko, speaking from New York where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly, hailed the relay team’s achievement in an online address, describing it as a “historic African win.”
He added: “I’ll be sure to tell everyone, Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground, they are our World Champion athletes,”
President Boko described the race as “electric” and stressed that the victory reflects Botswana’s growing stature on the world stage. The success also underlined the country’s steady rise in athletics, as the team finished fifth overall in the medal table – their best-ever finish – with two gold medals, one silver, and one bronze.
This landmark moment follows another historic breakthrough just last year, when Tebogo won Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200 metres at the Paris Games.
That achievement, the first time an African athlete had triumphed in the event, triggered scenes of nationwide celebration, with tens of thousands packing the National Stadium in Gaborone to welcome him home.
