28 Jun 2018

Botswana’s 800m and 400m runners, Nijel Amos and Baboloki Thebe will be amongst the world’s top athletes to compete at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix on Monday (July 2).

The meet, named after former Hungarian television commentator and IAAF secretary general, István Gyulai, who represented Hungary at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 400metres,  attracts top athletes all over the world.

Amos competed in a Pre Diamond League Meeting in Eugene last month, where he finished in position two with 1:45.51, after Kenyan Emmanuel Korir who stopped the clock at 1:45.16.

Amos, who before the Eugene race was  sidelined by an injury he sustained during the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, knows the importance of making a great come back in the athletics track at the meet.

In an interview, he said after a month’s treatment he competed at the Pre Diamond League Meeting in Eugene.

After only training for a week, where he managed to finish second running his best tactical race ever since 2012.

“I knew I could’ve done better with more training, so I canceled all of my races to train for a month and it’s been really going so well. I am now starting my European circuit with the world challenge in Budapest 800 and get on some speed race 400m in Italy, then London Diamond League,” he said.

He said his main focus now was to make a statement at the Gyulai Istvàn Memorial on Monday, adding that his body was responding well and he was looking forward to the race.

Thebe on the other hand said he was honoured to be among the athletes competing at the Gyulai Memorial, who was also 400m runner.

He said his mission was to do better looking at his intensive training in Italy.

Thebe said he had been focusing much on the speed and he was confident that during the race, he would execute the plan very well.

He admitted that he had not been on his best, adding that they were contributing factors, therefore he would want to use the Monday race as a turning point.

“I have a busy schedule ahead of me and I hope the more competitions I enter, the more I gel and find my rhythm back,” he said. ENDS