17 May 2019

 Botswana's celebrated duo of Christine Botlogetswe and Isaac Makwala will open their Diamond League account in China tomorrow. (May 18) 

Botlogetswe, who is slowly becoming a force to reckon with in international stage, would be put to the test when she takes to the track with renowned 400m runners. It remains to be seen how she will handle the pressure in Shaghai.

She would be up againt American sprinter, Jessica Beard, Sydney McLaughlin and Shakima Wimbley, Dutch sprinter Lisanne de Witte, Chinese Huang Guifen, Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson, Bahraini Salwa Eid Naser and Polish sprinter Justyna Święty-Ersetic.

Makwala on one hand would batlle it out  with Jamaicans: Nathon Allen, Akeem Bloomfield, Americans: Michael Cherry, Fred Kerley and Nathan Strother, Grenadian sprinter: Bralon Taplin and Chinese: Yuang Wu.

Track and field analyst, Lentswe Charles, said the 400m races would light up the Diamond League, adding that this would be tough contests.

Charles said the 400 metres men was competitive and it was tough to predict the winner since the international season had just started.

He said he winner might drop a time around 44 high to 44 seconds low.

Equally, he said the women category had a  strong field, adding that the Diamond League defending champion, Nasser, won a race in Egypt and ran stunning times at the Asian Championships recently. 

“Her explosive speed, especially in a competitive race, is something else and I am expecting her to burn the field,” Charles said.

He said the other Sub 51 seconds women runners he expected to be deadly were Botlogetswe, who has a season best of 52.17 and was also likely to drop a quick time and the Jamaican McPherson. ENDS