Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) reflects on the successful outing to the continental junior championships in Nigeria where Team Botswana secured seven medals.
Three golds, one silver and three bronzes. That’s the impressive medal tally of Team Botswana from the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under 18 and Under 20 Championships that were held in Abeokuta, Nigeria from 16 to 20 July.
“There is nothing more we can ask for,” said an enthused Kenneth Kikwe, BAA Vice President – Technical, in a telephone interview in the afterglow of what is “our best performance yet at a continental junior event”.
He added: “Initially, we had wanted to send a bigger team but couldn’t due to budget constraints. However, the small team that went did exceptionally well by winning seven medals.”
Standout performer
This is the work of the 36-strong delegation of 29 athletes and seven officials that the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) had
sent to the continental event.
Justice Oratile emerged the standout athlete for Botswana, claiming three gold medals for winning the 400m and the 200m races and contributing to the men’s 4x400m relay victory.
Kikwe noted that strong performances at the continental level serve as a good foundation for international competitions in the future. He highlighted BAA’s developmental approach, particularly its efforts to improve female participation in athletics.
Botswana entered two female relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m events — a move that Kikwe previously said was part of preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Female athletes and Los Angeles ‘28
“By doing this, we have already started preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,” Kikwe said in an earlier interview.
Botswana has traditionally seen lower participation rates among female athletes, particularly in relay events. BAA hopes that consistent exposure and early integration into international competition will help close that gap.
The U-18 and U-20 Championships serve as a key platform for talent identification and development across the continent, and Botswana’s showing in Nigeria is expected to inform future strategic planning by the association.
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