22 Sep 2019

Despite the absence of two top sprinters in the national squad for the upcoming IAAF World Championships, athletics national coach, Justice Dipeba is optimistic that other athletes will do well at the Doha Meet.

Athletics devotees will miss Botswana’s prolific runners, Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe during the games billed for Doha from September 27-October 06.

The 400m sprinter Makwala failed to qualify, while Thebe was ruled out due to an injury he sustained at the All African Games.

Contrary to the athletics pundits who are worried about the limping Team Botswana given the duo’s absence, Dipeba remains resolute about the youthful side saying it would cause an upset at Doha.

In an interview recently, Dipeba said they had selected young and resilient athletes and he attributed his confidence on their aptness displayed during training.

“The team is doing very well, and we are very happy with the progress and the times that we are getting in training, so I will say, the team is strong,” he said.

Despite recognising the team’s strength, he acknowledged that Makwala and Thebe’s absence might have a dent on the men’s 4x400m men’s relay team.

He however said he believed that the Doha squad would be able to step in and fill the gap that was opened by the two runners.

“While Makwala is experienced, sometimes I do not really buy into experience when it comes to athletics because it is an objective sport, which is based on performance and what you can deliver on the day,” he said.

On Christine Botlogetswe’s injury, he said it was improving, adding that they had been worried as the technical team.

“Though not fully healed as expected, she is getting better. 

She is one of our valuable member and she plays a vital role in the women’s 4x400m metres relay team.

So we are cautious on how we attend to her injury to ensure that she maintains fitness,” she said.

The coach further said Batswana should expect good results from the strong team adding that he was performance-oriented. Ends