03 Jun 2019

Botswana Defence Force Athletics Club athlete, Julius Monyeki, won the IAAF Run 24-1 after clocking a time of 4:20 on June 2.

Kentse Tshenyego of Sports view clocked 4:26 coming second followed by Alex Modumo of BDF.

Gaborone was among 24 cities selected by IAAF to host the Mile Run 24-1.

Other hosts included Beijing, Melbourne, Tokyo, Milan, Delhi, Singapore, Mauritius, Nairobi, Gaborone, Copenhagen, Istanbul, Bogota, Rabat and Havana.

Tshenyego had an upper hand from the beginning, but as the race progressed, Monyeki showed his character and ensured that he hit the finish line on the pole position.

In the women category, Katlego Pfidze of First National Bank clocked 8:08, followed by an independent runner, Karabo Serero with 10:41, while Baboloki Monyatsi finished on position three with 10:44.

Botswana Athletics Association (BAA), President, Thari Mooketsi, was also among the runners and he finished last with a time of 13:55.

Monyeki said in an interview that he enjoyed the race and the route was clear, adding that despite the fact that Tshenyego was leading the race, he was not any pressure.

“I didn’t want him to open the gap, because he is very good in sprinting, I know him, and I know how he runs,” he said.

BAA president said he was happy that BDF managed to host the event despite the fact that they were given a short notice.

“We gave BDF six days to prepare and generally, I am happy and as you might be aware our mission as BAA is to empower clubs, therefore BDF will continue to host this event annually,” he said.

BDF club spokesperson, Alfred Phinias said the event went well, despite the short notice, adding that what mattered was the fact that Gaborone was counted amongst the 24 cities that made a difference in keeping people fit through running. ENDS