27 Jun 2019

Three local elite athletes will be on track on Sunday in the USA and Switzerland.

Baboloki Thebe will be at a Diamond League meet in Eugene, USA,  while Christine Botlogetswe and Onkabetse Nkobolo will compete at the Résisprint International, La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland.

Thebe did not have a good start in his European circuit as evidenced by his inconsistent performances.

All eyes will be on him as he shares the track with Trinidadian Machel Cedenio, Americans Michael Cherry, Fred Kelly, Wilbert London, LaShawn Merritt, Kahmari Montgomery and Michael Norman. Jonathan Jones of Barbados will also compete in the race.

In his first Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Thebe  finished eighth with a time of 48.85.

Speaking in an interview, Thebe said he had prepared well for the race, adding that he left on Tuesday for Eugene after meeting his coach, Mogomotsi Otsetswe.

“Well, I must admit that I started very badly, but we met with my coach and tried to rectify my mistakes. The Eugene race is not going to be easy looking at the starting list, but I will do my best,” he said.

Track and field analyst, Aobakwe Showa said he would be eager to see how he would fare in America where the weather was warmer than in Europe. He added that the race would be during the day which would be an added advantage for him.

He, however, said Thebe would  not have it easy as he would face the inform Norman, Diamond League champion, Kelley as well as Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobacco.

“The trio of Jonathan Jones, London and Montgomery are debutants in the Diamond League, and they arrive after clocking impressive times in their USA Collegiate Championships. But that must not be of a big concern for Thebe as the Diamond League is a different stage altogether and debutants have always fell short to the more experienced elite athletes,” he said.

According to Showa, to beat a field made of six Americans in their soil Thebe must execute a good race plan.

In 400m, he said distribution of energy was essential to a good speed, and that his approach should be to push hard in the first 100m and get up to speed as soon as possible to make it easy to apply less effort, but maintaining a good rhythm in the second 200m.

He said Thebe would have to rely on his good stride frequency and maintaining that would help position himself well when approaching the last bend.

On his previous races, he said it showed that he struggled more in the homestretch due to poor positioning. He noted that he had to put more effort and acceleration, but that his legs couldn’t carry him to the finish line.

Meanwhile still on Sunday, Botlogetswe and Nkobolo will compete at the Résisprint International, La Chaux-de-Fonds.

 Track and field analyst, Lentswe Charles said Botlogetswe would be running a race full of unknowns, and that the majority had not been appearing in international competitions.

He said her performance from previous races had given her confidence, and that her fitness level has turned her into a aggressive athlete who fights for good results.

He said Nkobolo with his 400m running experience understands all 400m pace velocities, and has the ability to endure all the paces using different biomechanics. ENDS