10 May 2016

Nijel Amos, 800m runner, will miss  Shanghai Diamond League meeting on  May 14.

However, his competitors, David Rudisha, Job Kinyor, Rotich Ferguson and Thijmen Kupers will compete in the meeting,.

Amos coach, Jean Verster, said Amos would start his Diamond League participation in Rabat on May 22 after thorough preparations.

He said they had a discussion with Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), as well as Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) and they agreed that this year, Amos will not participate in all races.

“Remember our main focus is Olympics this year, nothing else, not even Diamond League is important compared to the Olympics, therefore we will be more selective,” he said.

Verster stated that although Amos won the Diamond League last season, they would not be concentrating on defending the tittle.

Furthermore, he said the athlete had been training hard just like previous years adding that he recently raced in a 400 metres race where he recorded 45.7 in Port Elizabeth, and he was part of Botswana’s 4x400m men relay team, which finished on position one in IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha on May 6.

The coach said they would probably race one 400m race for speed work ahead of Rabat meeting.

Verster said, despite racing at Rabat, they would not go there to impress, because their main mission was to be fully prepared in August given that their main focus was to leave lasting impression at the Olympics.

He, however, said at the Olympics, they would not chase to break the world record, but to win a medal.

“I think there are enough fast guys in the world and if you are ready to go for a gold medal, you automatically have to be in good shape and we all know that if Amos is in good shape he will run fast, but at this stage the focus is not times, but of course we have to be ready to run fast,” he said.

“Botswana has a great chance not only a medal but a gold one, I am cognisant that 800m is a tough race anything can happen even in the semi-finals we saw that in Beijing, I think to me its basics first, and the mistake Amos made was that he was already thinking about the final, before he reached the final, but not this time,” he said. ENDS