01 Dec 2016

The first athlete to deliver Botswana’s ever gold medal at  World Championships, Amantle Montsho, will once again fight to redeem the countries pride at the  London 2017 World Championships.

Montsho won gold in Daegu in 2011 with a time of 49.56 in 400m

The athletics governing body, IAAF, in their 207th council meeting in Monaco on Wednesday announced the London 2017 World Championships entry standards.

IAAF said the qualification period for all events except the road events, combined events and the 10 000m was from October 1, 2016 to July 23, 2017.

However, Montsho said in an interview that she was working hard to prepare for the championships.

She said her intention was to qualify for the competition once again.

“Yah I have seen the 400 m women qualifying standard. It is 52.10, I think it’s doable, but of course it needs a lot of hard work and focus,” she said.

Another athlete who welcomed the qualifying standards was 800 metre runner Boitumelo ‘Samachana’ Masilo.

He said the 800 metres qualifying standard of 1:45.90 might look simple on paper, but in the track it meant a lot of sweat and focus.

Masilo, who was part of Team Botswana at the 2016 Rio  Olympics, said he qualified for the Olympics on the eleventh hour, so for the World Championships, his intention would be to do it as early as possible

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“I met with my coach, Mogomotsi Otswetswe, and he asked me my plans for the coming season, and I told him my intentions is to qualify for the world champs, “he said.

Furthermore, Masilo said they had been training hard preparing for the qualification, adding that he was now happy that Otlaadisa Segosebe was back on track and they were training together.

“My personal best is 1:45.87 and qualifying standard is 1:45.90, surely with more determination I can hit the mark in one of my races here home,” he said

He said their desire was to see more than one athlete qualifying in the 800 metres.

Botswana Athletics Association, secretary  general, Legojane Kebaitse said they expected a lot of athletes to meet the standards  given that they were  not far from the usual qualification times

“However it may not as many as Olympics remember Olympics is about participation or numbers the the World Championships is it’s about competition of champions hence world championships, “he said.

He said he was optimistic that  the  4 x 400 both men and women will  make it, adding that  high jump looks attainable too, although  qualification starts while track and field was mainly off season, so they  expect more to start qualifying in  January upwards. ENDS