27 Apr 2026

The dust has finally settled on the third edition of the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, but for the organisers, the real race has only just begun.

While the echoes of cheering fans still linger at the National Stadium, a critical technical report is being prepared for World Athletics, a document that will decide if Gaborone returns to the prestigious Gold status or remains in the Silver tier.

Last year, the event was downgraded after failing to meet strict administrative timelines. Now, after a weekend of blistering speeds and improved performances, the athletics community is holding its breath to see if the city has done enough to redeem itself.

Technical delegate, Piter De Jager, appointed by World Athletics to oversee the meet, acknowledged in an interview that while the overall programme was a success, the path back to Gold was not guaranteed.

“Area like communication and there were many people making changes on the day of the event, which I saw quite disturbing,” De Jager said. His analysis serves as a reminder that at the elite level, action behind the scenes must be as disciplined as the athletes on the blocks.

However, event spokesperson, Calistus Kolantsho remained undiscouraged, owing to the massive fan turnout as proof of the country’s growing dominance in the sport. Kolantsho said despite the absence of local icons like Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, Bhekimpilo Eppie and Collen Kebinatshipi, Batswana filled the stands, proving that the nation’s love for athletics now transcends individual stars.

“I also want to appreciate the presence of international athletes who came here for free without paying them appearance fees. It is not every day that you will get an athlete like Gabby Thomas for free,” Kolantsho said, noting that the athletes’ presence was fueled by pure passion for the sport.

If the decision rested solely on the quality of competition, the Gold status would be a formality. Meanwhile, the National Stadium track once again proved to be one of the fastest surfaces in the southern hemisphere.

The headline of the day was the American superstar and Olympic 200m champion, Gabby Thomas. Demonstrating elite quickness, Thomas shattered the 11-second barrier for the first time in her career, clocking a Personal Best time of 10.95 seconds (-0.4 m/s wind).

Gabby led a powerhouse field with USA’s Cambrea Sturgis finishing second in 11.07s and Canada’s Audrey Leduc third in 11.10s to round out the top three.

The men’s sprints became a masterclass in Canadian depth with Jerome Blake scorching the track with a PB of 9.93 seconds (+1.0 wind), narrowly beating his legendary compatriot Andre De Grasse and Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala.

In a finish so close, it required thousandths of a second to separate them, both De Grasse and Omanyala stopped the clock at 9.95s, but the former was awarded position two.

De Grasse proved his veteran class later in the day, taking the 200m title in a dominant 19.84 seconds ahead of Aaron Brown who clocked 20.07s and USA’s Kyree King recording 20.24s in positions two and three respectively.

While the international stars brought the glamour, it was Oratile Nowe who brought the day home.

The local 800m specialist delivered the performance of the afternoon, using her home-ground advantage to sail across the finish line in 1:58.42. As she gapped Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew and Bahrain’s Nelly Jepkosgei, the stadium erupted, proving that while Botswana awaits a formal title from World Athletics, in the eyes of the fans, the event is already world-class. The report now heads to the governing body. Whether Gaborone is reinstated to the Gold tier remains to be seen, but Sunday’s display made one thing certain that Botswana has become a compulsory stop  for the world’s sprinting elite.ends