Addis Ababa, September 22, 2025 (FMC) – Botswana has announced a public holiday to mark its historic victory in the men’s 4×400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, becoming the first African nation to win the event.
President Duma Boko described the gold medal as a “historic African win” during an online address, praising the team for their outstanding performance. He designated Monday, 29 September, as a national holiday to celebrate the achievement, a day ahead of the country’s Independence Day.
Botswana’s relay team—Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi—clinched the title in a rain-soaked race, narrowly defeating the United States, who had won the last 10 world titles. South Africa secured third place.
Speaking from New York, where he is attending the UN General Assembly, President Boko said, “Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground, they are our World Champion athletes.”
He described the victory as “electric,” noting that it reflects the nation’s growing stature on the global stage, BBC reported, citing the President of the Southern African nation.
Botswana finished fifth overall in the championship medal standings—behind the US, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Canada—achieving its best-ever result with two golds, one silver, and a bronze.
The win builds on last year’s milestone, when Tebogo claimed Botswana’s first Olympic gold in the men’s 200m in Paris, also marking the first time an African athlete had won the event. The triumph was celebrated nationwide, with tens of thousands welcoming him at Gaborone’s National Stadium. At the time, the government declared a half-day holiday, which then-President Mokgweetsi Masisi called “a most unique… manner that will be etched in the annals of the history of the Republic.”