21 Jan 2016

The countdown to Rio 2016 Olympic Games has begun. Botswana athletes do not want to be left behind in the intense preparations for the August 5-21 games.

Few days after the games, Botswana will celebrate 50 years of independence.

Therefore a gold medal from the games would be an icing on the cake for the jubilant nation.

Who, among the athletes, who have already qualified for the games will stand up to be counted?

 The 400 metres runner,  Isaac ‘Badman’Makwala believes he has what it takes to shock the world and put Batswana on cloud nine.

He said in an interview that he was preparing well for the Olympics. His ambition is to make it to the medal podium. 

This might be his last Olympic Games, therefore Makwala would not want to leave Brazil without a medal. In the 2012 Olympics in London, Makwala was eliminated in the heats after finishing on position four. However,  come August, it would be a different ball game. He said he had learnt from all his past mistakes in the track and he was determined not to settle for less.

He said his coach, Justice Dipeba, was aware of his ambition. 

“The coach has changed the programme and it is totally different from last season and luckily my coach was at the World Championships, he has seen how tough the competition was, hence he came up with other strategies, “he said.

Makwala, who is also part of the men’s 400x4m relay team, said he was confident that the team would pull a surprise.

He said at the World Champions, their team mate, Onkabetse Nkobolo and Gaone Maotoanong were making their debut in a big stage, adding they managed to clock 2:59 and should they gel properly as a team, ‘the sky is the limit’.

He said he would compete at the Africa Senior Championships pencilled for Durban in June, as part of the Olympic preparations. He also wanted to win his third Africa Senior Championships medal in a row, in 2012 he won a gold in Benin recording 45:22,and clocked 44:23 in 2014 in Marrakesh, also winning a gold medal.

“This season I will be chasing medals and at the same time I want to re-claim my African record, therefore it means I will have to put more extra effort in everything that I do'. Ends