Botswana has declared a public holiday to celebrate the country’s victory in the men’s 4x400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, marking the first time an African nation has won the event.
President Duma Boko hailed the triumph as a “historic African win” in an online address, praising the team for their exceptional performance. He announced Monday, 29 September, as a national holiday—strategically placed just a day before the country’s independence celebrations.
Botswana’s quartet of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi edged out the United States—winners of the last ten world titles—in a rain-drenched race, with South Africa finishing third.
“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 said from New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly. He described the moment as “electric” and said the performance reflected Botswana’s rising stature on the global stage.
The southern African nation finished fifth overall in the championship’s medal standings—behind the US, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Canada—achieving its best-ever return with two golds, one silver, and a bronze.
This latest victory follows another milestone for Botswana last year, when Letsile Tebogo won the country’s first Olympic gold in the men’s 200 metres in Paris. That triumph, which also marked the first time an African athlete had won the event, sparked nationwide celebrations, with tens of thousands greeting Tebogo at the National Stadium in Gaborone. The government declared a half-day holiday then, allowing citizens to “pause and celebrate him,” which former President Mokgweetsi Masisi described as a moment “that will be etched in the annals of the history of the Republic.”
With the 4x400m gold, Botswana has cemented its status as a rising power in international athletics, inspiring a new generation of athletes across the continent.
