American sprint legend Justin Gatlin has shared his thoughts on why he believes the Botswana men’s 4x400m relay team is set to dominate for the foreseeable future, especially after their close encounter at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Although they narrowly missed out on gold to the United States, Gatlin is confident that Botswana’s young squad will leave a lasting mark on the event.
Historically, the 4x400m men’s relays have seen dominance from American, Caribbean, and European teams. African nations have only occasionally broken through, with Kenya securing the continent’s first Olympic relay gold in Munich 1972, followed by Nigeria at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Botswana themselves have had a taste of success, winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games. But after a fierce battle in Paris, where Rai Benjamin edged out Botswana’s star anchor Letsile Tebogo, Gatlin believes Botswana’s time is coming.
Speaking on his Ready Set Go podcast, Gatlin highlighted the squad’s youth as a major factor in their potential for dominance.
“They are all in that age group of between 21 and 23. Can you imagine, bro? In America, we have our generations, but it is all about the best being on the team,” Gatlin said. He added that unlike the U.S., where age gaps often exist between relay members, the Botswana team’s uniformity in age gives them an edge.
“These guys are gonna grow together and go through professional track together. They are gonna keep breaking their records over and over again.”
Gatlin’s co-host, Rodney Greene, echoed this sentiment, going as far as to predict that the Botswana team would smash the world record at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. “The world record is going next year. All those men are young and under 25,” Greene confidently stated.
Botswana’s success has been built on more than just talent. In May, after clinching gold at the World Athletics Relays in the Bahamas, Tebogo pointed to the strong bond shared among the athletes.
“There is not much that we are doing, it is just that there is that bond and strong relationship that we have as athletes in Botswana for the 400m,” Tebogo remarked. This camaraderie, he believes, is key to their continued success.
Tebogo also expressed optimism about the future of Botswana’s athletics, noting the rise of new talent supported by their national association.
“There will be some real talented guys coming up because the couple of guys that were there in Accra, I believe, were taken there by the association for the exposure,” he explained, suggesting that Botswana’s future in athletics is just as bright as their present.
With such a young and united squad, and Gatlin’s ringing endorsement, it seems like the world should brace itself for Botswana’s rise to the top of the relay world.
