Botswana Marks Historic Gold Medal Win with Public Holiday
Botswana has declared 29 September a national holiday to celebrate its men’s 4×400 metre relay gold medal win at the 2025 World Athletics Championships (WAC) in Tokyo, Japan.
On Sunday, 21 September, the quartet of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi stunned the United States, ten-time world champions, to become the first African nation to claim the title. South Africa finished third.
President Duma Boko praised the victory as a defining moment for the country.
In a statement from New York City, New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly, he said: “Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground; they are our World Champion athletes.”
The 55-year-old head of state went on to describe the team’s triumph as “electric” and a reflection of the nation’s rising global profile.
The win helped Botswana secure its best-ever performance at the WAC, finishing fifth in the overall medal table with two golds, one silver and one bronze. The spotlight was initially on the men’s 200 metre rematch between Tebogo and American sprinter, Noah Lyles.
While Lyles won in 19.52 seconds, Tebogo’s earlier success at the 2024 Paris Olympics – where he became Africa’s first 200 metre champion in 19.46 seconds – had already cemented his status as a national icon.
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