TOKYO2025: Historic relay gold for Botswana, bronze for South Africa in rain-soaked final
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 21.09.25. | 15:48
It is the first time an African nation has taken the 4x400m title on the World stage
Botswana's quartet of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori and the individual 400m world champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi claimed a thrilling victory in the men's 4x400m relay in Tokyo on Sunday, 21 September.
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Kebinatshipi ran an impressive anchor leg, stealing the win in the final metres after running down American 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin.
Botswana timed 2:57.76 to top the podium, with the US foursome taking silver 0.07sec adrift.
World 400m record holder Wayde van Niekerk ran the third leg to help South Africa to bronze.
In the women's final, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won her second gold of the world chanmpionships.
The double Olympic 400m hurdles champion McLaughlin-Levrone, who impressively won the 400m flat gold earlier in the week, put in a punishing last leg timed at a rapid 47.82sec to bring the USA team home in a championship record of 3:16.61sec.
It beat by 0.10sec the previous best set by the United States in Stuttgart in 1993.
Jamaica claimed silver in 3:19.25, with the Netherlands taking bronze in 3:20.18.
Femke Bol, fresh from retaning her 400m hurdles crown and known for her fast finishing speed, was on the anchor leg for the Dutch team.
But she had been left too much to do and could only chase down the shadows of her hurdling nemesis McLaughlin-Levrone.
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