Botswana President declares public holiday after historic gold in Tokyo
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 22.09.25. | 14:48
Their stunning performance saw them edge the United States in a nail-biting finish, clocking 2:57.76 to top the podium
Botswana will mark Monday, 29 September, as a public holiday in honour of the country’s trailblazing 4x400m men’s relay team, who stormed to a historic gold medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
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The quartet of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi made history by becoming the first African team to win the event.
Their stunning performance saw them edge the United States in a nail-biting finish, clocking 2:57.76 to top the podium.
The Americans, anchored by 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin, finished just 0.07 seconds behind.
The moment of glory came in the anchor leg, where Kebinatshipi produced a sensational run down the home stretch, overtaking Benjamin in the final metres to deliver a victory that sent Botswana into euphoria.
President Duma Boko, speaking via video call to the team shortly after their triumph, hailed the athletes as national treasures.
“Congratulations, my boys! Thank you so much. The nation is proud, everybody is delirious about you guys, and we love you so much,” the president told the quartet.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), President Boko further announced the new holiday.
“A quick moment to congratulate our boys on their historic gold medal victory… feeling so proud here in New York, where I’ll be attending the United Nations 80th General Assembly meetings.
I’ll be sure to tell everyone, Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground, they are our World Champion Athletes! September 30th is our official Independence Day, and the 29th has been declared a public holiday,” the tweet read.
The declaration means Botswana will enjoy back-to-back celebrations, with the public holiday on September 29 followed by Independence Day festivities on Tuesday, 30 September.
This wave of national pride mirrors the scenes from the 2024 Paris Olympics, when Letsile Tebogo’s historic men’s 200m victory, the first by an African sprinter in the event, was celebrated with a half-day holiday across the nation.
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