21 May 2026

Fresh off their historic relay gold on home soil, the elite sprinting trio of Letsile Tebogo, Collen Kebinatshipi and Bayapo Ndori are set to test their mettle against the world’s best at the Saturday’s Xiamen Diamond League meeting.

All eyes would be on the 400 metres, where dynamic quarter-milers Kebinatshipi and Ndori are lined up against a formidable international field.

The duo would square off against USA’s Chris Bailey and Vernon Norwood, China’s Kai Liu, Hungary’s Attila Molnar, Canada’s Christopher Morales Williams, South Africa’s Zakithi Nene and Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga.

This marks the duo’s first individual appearance on the international stage since anchoring Botswana to an emotional gold medal at the Debswana World Athletics Relays in Gaborone earlier this month.

Having witnessed their blistering relay splits, the world already knows exactly what these local lads are capable of when they hit the track.

On paper, Christopher Morales Williams enters as the pre-race favourite with a Season Best (SB) time of 44.30 seconds, closely followed by Nene at 44.44 seconds.

However, both Kebinatshipi and Ndori are approaching the starting blocks with little pressure, given it is their first individual Diamond League race of the season.

Kebinatshipi, currently ranked world number two, is renowned for his clinical finishing style, striking where it matters most, right at the finish line when other athletes are hitting the wall. 

In contrast, world number six Ndori is a master of aggression, attacking the race from the gun. 

His relentless pace often unnerves opponents who expect him to fade, only to watch him finish on the exact same high gear.

Given the sheer quality of this line-up, spectators could be treated to times in the low 44s, depending on how the athletes’ bodies respond on the day.

Meanwhile, ace sprinter, Letsile Tebogo would contest another heavily stacked field in the 100 metres, looking to shake off last week’s Shanghai meeting. His rivals include the American trio of Kenneth Bednarek, Trayvon Bromell and Christian Coleman, China’s Xinrui Deng and Shengjie Wang, Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala and South Africa’s Akani Simbine.

In Shanghai, Tebogo finished in seventh place with a Season Best of 10.12 seconds, but his rivals would be wise not to judge him solely on that performance.

Athletics pundits note that a dip was almost inevitable after his explosive and multi-event workload at the home World Athletics Relays, where he blasted through duties in both the 4x100m and 4x400m.

Expectations are high that the star runner has fully recovered and is ready to remind the world that clocking sub-10 second times has never been an issue in his stellar career. ends