Botswana has declared a public holiday to celebrate its men’s 4x400m relay team’s stunning victory at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo — making it the first African nation ever to win the event.
In a national address, President Duma Boko described the triumph as a “historic African win”, praising the athletes for their resilience and record-breaking performance. He announced Monday, 29 September as a public holiday, a day before the country’s independence celebrations.
The team — made up of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi — pulled off a dramatic upset, defeating the United States, who had dominated the event for the past decade. South Africa secured the bronze medal in the rain-soaked final.
Speaking from New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly, President Boko lauded the athletes as Botswana’s “natural diamonds.”
“This victory was electric. It shows that Botswana’s diamonds are not just in the ground, but on the track in the form of our world champion athletes. Their performance reflects our growing place on the global stage,” he said.
The medal capped a historic outing for Botswana, which finished fifth overall in the medal standings with two golds, one silver, and one bronze — the country’s best-ever showing at a World Championships.
This is not the first time Botswana has stopped the nation for sporting triumphs. Just last year, Letsile Tebogo captured the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m in Paris — also the first time an African athlete had won the event. That victory sparked nationwide celebrations, with tens of thousands gathering to welcome him home in Gaborone. The government declared a half-day holiday in his honor, a moment former President Mokgweetsi Masisi described as “etched in the annals of the Republic.”
Botswana’s latest win cements its rising reputation as a force in global athletics and a source of pride for the African continent.
