02 Aug 2016

Botswana has never sent a team as formidable as the current one to the Olympic Games since its first appearance at the Moscow 1980 Olympics. 

Most of the athletes who represented the country at the Olympics used to go there to participate with no hope of winning a medal. 

But the country has this time fielded men and women capable of winning medals.

Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has set a medal target of two for the Rio 2016 Olympics, and chances are they might easily reach their target unlike at the London 2012 Olympics.

In London they had targeted two medals but managed only one, a silver medal through Nijel Amos in 800 metres.

As Botswana celebrate  silver jubilee surely one or two Olympic medals would make the nation proud. 

The team arrived at its Blumenau camp last week and will relocate to Rio de Janeiro next week Tuesday.

Most of the athletes, among them Amos, Boitumelo Masilo, Isaac Makwala, Baboloki Thebe and Karabo Sibanda will start competing in the heats three days after their arrival in Rio.

According to athletics team coach, Justice Dipeba, morale is high in camp.

 “I am happy because the athletes are finally together in camp and I can say the final preparations are going well. 

The weather is fine here in Blumenau and we are just an hour away from Rio,” he said.

Dipeba further said athletes are looking forward to the competition, and the big stage would not be a problem for young athletes because they have proven that they can handle pressure.

He said they have a psychologist in camp working with the athletes to have them mentally prepared for the games.

London 2012 silver medallist, Amos, said he was looking forward to hit the race track.

“We are looking forward to enjoy the end results of the pain we been going through on training, to make memories,” he said.

Amos said Thebe and Sibanda have a great potential and need to be motivated. 

He said he has advised them to enjoy the competition. “They should go out there at make their mark and mostly have fun in what they are doing,” Zorro said.

Another runner Makwala said his preparations were not great given that he had been training alone in Germany for three months without his coach.

He however said despite the challenges he was determined to do his level best at the Olympics Games. ENDS