Botswana announces an official holiday for “historical” world athletics championships

Botswana has announced an official holiday to celebrate the country’s victory in men 4×400 meters at the Tokyo World Athletics Championship, the first African nation to win the event.

President Duma Boko welcomes the gold medal as a “historical African victory” into an online address that praises the team for their presentation.

He declared Monday, September 29 as a holiday to celebrate the achievement – the day before the country’s Independence Day.

On Sunday, the team of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi came out of the US, the winners of the last 10 world titles, in the rain race. South Africa took third position.

“I will be sure to tell everyone, Botswana’s natural diamonds are not only in the ground, they are our world athletes,” the president said, speaking from New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly.

He described the moment as “electric”, adding that Botswana’s performance was talking about his growing growth on the global scene.

The southern African nation finished fifth in general in the championship medals – behind the US, Kenya, the Netherlands and Canada – their best return after taking two gold, one silver and bronze.

Last year, Botswana celebrated another historical stage, as Tebogo won the nation’s first gold medal with its victory in the men 200 meters in Paris.

His triumph, which also marks the first time the African athlete won the event, has become a national sensation, with tens of thousands of people celebrating it at the National Stadium in the capital Gaborone after returning to the country.

The government has announced a half-day holiday that allows citizens to “pause and celebrate it”-in what then President Mokgweit Massisi described as “the most unique … way that will be cut in the annals of the history of the Republic.”