Akani Simbine (left), Ferdinand Omanyala and Letsile Tebogo. Photo credit: Pool
Letsile Tebogo delighted home fans at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix by easing to a dominant 200 metres victory at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting which also brought together 60 metres bronze medallist Akani Simbine and Africa 100m record holder Ferdinand Omanyala in Gaborone at the weekend.
The Olympic champion’s compatriots Bayapo Ndori, Oratile Nowe and Kethobogile Haingura also roared on to victory at the National Stadium on Saturday, while South Africa’s Akani Simbine stormed to 100m success and USA’s Dalilah Muhammad clinched a clear 400m hurdles win.
Making his 200m season debut after four 400m races over the past couple of months, Tebogo’s win over half a lap of the track never looked in doubt.
Lining up alongside South Africa’s Luxolo Adams, Tebogo got a strong start and ran alongside Adams, on his outside, around the bend. But the African record-holder, who clocked 19.46 to win his Olympic 200m title in Paris, cruised down the home straight and eased up on his approach to the finish line, winning in a comfortable 20.23 (-1.6m/s). Adams was second in 20.42.
The event featured two 200m races and the first was won by South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile in 20.01 (-1.8m/s).
In his first race since securing the first individual global medal of his career at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, 60m bronze medallist Simbine stepped back up to the 100m in style.
He was put under pressure from Kenya’s African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala, but Simbine had the stronger finish and he strode ahead in the final metres. The South African clocked 9.90 seconds into a -1.4m/s headwind for the fastest 100m in the world so far this year. Omanyala was second in 10.00.
The women’s 100m was won by South Africa’s 17-year-old Hanna Hope Vermaak in 11.44 (-0.2m/s), the same time as runner-up Viwe Jingqi.
Former world 400m hurdles record-holder Muhammad continued her farewell season with a dominant victory. The 2019 world champion clocked 53.81 to triumph ahead of her US compatriot Cassandra Tate (55.59), while a close men’s race was won by South Africa’s Njabulo Mbatha in 49.06.
Tebogo’s Olympic 4x400m silver medal-winning teammate Ndori achieved a strong 400m win. He was ahead off the final curve and maintained that momentum, crossing the finish line in 44.35 for the second-fastest time of his career to win by three tenths of a second ahead of South Africa’s Zakithi Nene.
The women’s 400m was won by Egypt’s Bassant Hemida in a national record of 50.77. Racing in her first outdoor 400m since 2021 after focusing on the shorter sprints, the multiple national 100m and 200m champion improved her outdoor one-lap best by more than two seconds to win ahead of South Africa’s Miranda Coetzee (51.10).
Botswana’s Nowe also made history in front of home fans in the 800m. The 24-year-old had Kenya’s world U20 champion Sarah Moraa on her shoulder at the bell, but the teenager couldn’t match her rival over the second lap. After glancing over her shoulder down the back straight, Nowe kicked on her approach to the finish line and dipped under 1:59 for the first time, improving her own national record to 1:58.96.
There was another home win in the men’s 800m as Haingura held off his compatriot Tshepiso Masalela and they achieved a Botswana 1-2. A month on from running a PB of 1:43.88 in Johannesburg, this time Haingura clocked 1:44.18 to pip Olympic finalist Masalela, who ran 1:44.77.
Hailemariyam Amare was so sure of his victory in the 3000m steeplechase that he celebrated on his way to the finish line. Crossing it in 8:28.00, the two-time African gold medallist won ahead of his Ethiopian compatriots Milkesse Fekadu (8:28.67) and Demelash Girma (8:29.67).
In her first competition since becoming the world indoor long jump champion in Nanjing, USA’s Claire Bryant soared 6.79m to secure another win. Karmen Fouche was second with 6.51m, while USA’s 2016 world indoor champion Marquis Dendy won the men’s event with a leap of 7.94m.
Zane Weir and Leonardo Fabbri topped the shot put, throwing 20.83m and 20.64m respectively to clinch an Italian 1-2, and South Africa’s Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane van Dyk threw 61.23m to win the javelin.
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