21 Feb 2024

Botswana is evidently, moving in the right direction in producing sprinters of calibre evidenced by yet another 400m sensation, Kago Seshoka alias Sanchoo making rounds in athletics meets. 

The sprinter made his intentions known of being among the best 400m sprinters the country has produced as he rose to the occasion recently to be among the athletes who have qualified for the African Games slated for Accra, Ghana next month. 

The African Games qualification its own is a morale booster for the athletes to aspire for greater things.

In an interview Seshoka could not suppress his excitement about making strides in the world of athletics given that his road was a bit challenging. 

Born in Mathathane in 2004, Sanchoo started running while at S Standard Four doing 100m and 200m respectively. 

At Standard Seven, coaches realised that his speed and height were not suitable for the short sprints and converted him to 400m while he started competing in 400m in 2017. 

Given his skill he managed to make it to Botswana Primary Schools Sports Association (BOPSSA) finals where he won a bronze medal. 

“Only those who have won gold and silver were the only ones who qualified to compete at the Confederation of Southern Africa School Sports, and that alone dampened my spirit,” he said. 

Whilst doing Form One, he took a bold decision that he was now done for good with athletics. 

“Well, it was out of frustration, because a year later in 2019 I then gathered my strength and went back to the track after my primary school teachers inquired about my none participation in athletics,” he said. 

Seshoka said coming back it was very difficult because he was struggling with fitness, hence he failed to qualify for the nationals that year, but finished at the sub zonal. 

Unfortunately, everything was disrupted by COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but everything changed in 2022 when he met William Mokwena who was introduced to him by one of his school mate. 

‘My first race in 2022 was Debswana BAA Nationals that were held in Francistown, I came second after Letsile Tebogo in our heat, but I did not do well in the finals as I finished in position eight,” he said. Going back to the base, he said Mokwena told him that as an athlete he lacked mindset, and training as the potential was there. 

Like the saying where there is a will there is a way, the next track and field he did very well and was selected to be part of the national team that was to compete at the Region 5 under 20 competition that in Lilongwe, Malawi.

He was part of the mixed relay team that won Botswana’s first ever 4x400m mixed relay Gold Medal and also a bronze medal for individual event. 

The sensational sprinter said the 400m individual automatically qualified him for the 2023 Region 5 under 20 competition, which were held in Zambia last year where he won a bronze medal again, but the 4x400 men’s relay won a gold for the country. Seshoka is a first year Student at the University of Botswana doing Bachelor of Science-General and said it was not easy to mix academics and athletics. 

“One has to be focused and know what he wants, I want to demystify the notion of saying sport and academics cannot mix,” he said. Ends