19 Apr 2022

- It will be a sight to behold when 800m greats; Nijel Amos of Botswana and Ferguson Rotich (Kenya) come face to face at the Gaborone International Meet (GIM) at the National Stadium.

The duo will meet on the track for the 28th time in their athletics career at the GIM scheduled to kick-off April 30.

Amos beat Rotich 21 times, while the Kenyan athlete stung Amos six times only.

Rotich may be in for a rude awakening as Amos will fight tooth and nail not to disppaoint his Botswana fans.

Home crowd will be a huge booster for the Marobela born athlete.

Amos knows it, Amos feels it and Amos will go all the way to do it given the proverb: ga nke e latelelwa mosimeng.

He said in an interview that he was looking forward to the race, adding that it was always an honour for him to compete on home soil.

“For me it’s an opportunity to break training and get to race at home. My main focus this year is World Championships. So this kind of race gives me an opportunity to race-train. I just want to get out there and have great fun,” he said.

Furthermore, he said he was happy that Rotich would compete in Botswana

“I hope one day we will race together in Kenya as a return match, but I am happy that Batswana will be able to watch the best of 800 metres” he said.

However, Rotich will not in anyway allow Amos to humiliate him.

He has vowed to shock Amos in his home soil.

Rotich said looking at his preparations, he was confident that he would do well.

“Amos is a consistent athlete, so I am going to his home ground, so going head-head with Amos is good for me,” he said.

Meanwhile, Batswana will also have an opportunity to watch Namibian sprinters, Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi in action.

GIM spokesperson, Calistus Kolantsho, said preparations were going well for the big event.

He also pleaded with the private sector to come on board to sponsor the event. ENDS