Botswana did not just run a relay on Sunday night in Tokyo — it rewrote the athletics history books. For the first time ever, an African team stood on the top step of the podium in the men’s 4×400m relay at the World Championships, turning what was once considered a distant dream into an electrifying reality. When anchor leg star Leungo Scotch crossed the finish line in 2:57.48, beating Jamaica and the United States to gold, the stadium erupted in a mix of disbelief and delight. Somewhere between the second baton exchange and the final straight, Africa’s perennial underdogs became sprint kings.
This was not a fluke, nor a lucky stumble over the finish line. Botswana’s quartet — Bayapo Ndori, Collen Kebinatshipi, Anthony Pasela and Leungo Scotch — came into the final with the second-fastest qualifying time. Their calm, almost defiant attitude in the call room betrayed an unspoken message: this was going to be Africa’s night. Ndori’s opening lap was smooth, clinical, and set the tone. Kebinatshipi built on it with a fierce back straight charge that put Botswana shoulder-to-shoulder with the Americans. Pasela, running third, held his nerve against Jamaica’s surging runner and handed the baton to Scotch with just enough daylight for history to be made. Scotch, known for his late kicks, found another gear and brought it home, arms outstretched, chest breaking the tape to stun the athletics world.
What makes this victory so momentous is its place in African sporting psychology. The 4×400m relay has traditionally been the playground of the United States, Jamaica, Britain, and occasionally Belgium. African nations have been formidable in middle and long-distance running — think Kenya and Ethiopia owning the 800m through marathon. Sprint relays, though, have often been seen as “not our thing.” Botswana’s win has now permanently erased that narrative. This was not just four men running; it was an entire continent catching up with its own sprinting potential.
Back home in Gaborone, celebrations reportedly lasted into the early hours of Monday morning. Crowds poured into the streets, waving national flags and honking car horns. President Mokgweetsi Masisi congratulated the team, calling their performance “a shining beacon for Botswana and the whole of Africa.” Social media, meanwhile, lit up with memes, videos of street celebrations, and pride-soaked tributes from across the continent. Nigerians, South Africans, Kenyans and Ghanaians all joined the online party, hailing the achievement as a win for Africa, not just Botswana.
The victory is likely to have ripple effects beyond athletics. Sport is a soft-power tool, and Botswana’s global profile just received a serious boost. Sponsorships for its athletes and national athletics programme will almost certainly grow. Young runners watching from dusty tracks in Francistown or Maun will now believe that they too can run with and beat the best. “This is bigger than gold. It’s permission for the next generation to dream,” said former Botswana sprinter and coach Justice Dipeba, speaking to local reporters after the race.
But the story is also one of perseverance. Botswana has been flirting with global relay success for over a decade. They finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, missing bronze by a hair’s breadth. At the 2022 World Championships, a botched baton exchange cost them a medal. Each near-miss hardened them. Each disappointment refined their chemistry. By the time they lined up in Tokyo this week, they were no longer just contenders — they were a machine.
And there is something poetic about the timing. At a moment when African athletics has been under scrutiny due to doping scandals and governance issues, Botswana’s clean, disciplined and joyous performance felt like a breath of fresh air. It was also a gentle reminder to the world that African sport is not monolithic. The continent can produce not only distance kings and queens but also quarter-mile thoroughbreds.
Botswana’s triumph also came against the backdrop of a shifting athletics landscape. The United States, while still strong, no longer enjoys unchallenged dominance in the relays. Jamaica’s depth is being tested by a generational transition. The door was open, and Botswana sprinted right through it. “The Americans didn’t lose this race,” said World Athletics analyst Ato Boldon. “Botswana won it. They went and took it.”
As the medals were handed out and the national anthem of Botswana played, Scotch and his teammates looked as though they were trying to take in the magnitude of the moment. Tears flowed, smiles beamed, and a continent quietly exhaled. Africa had arrived on the last major sprinting frontier.
The question now is whether this win sparks a relay renaissance across Africa. Can Nigeria, South Africa or Kenya follow suit? Can the continent build on this moment to regularly challenge the established sprinting powers? Whatever the answers, one thing is certain: the narrative has changed. Botswana has shown that with talent, discipline, and belief, Africa can run — and win — with the very best.
