The 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo will go down in history as the moment Botswana transformed from a nation of promise into a global sprinting powerhouse.
The southern African country, long admired for producing talent but yet to fully deliver on the world stage, finally had its breakthrough led by a 21-year-old phenom who electrified the world in the 400m.
Botswana’s golden chapter was written by Collen Kebinatshipi, who delivered one of the greatest one-lap performances in recent memory. Clocking 43.53 seconds, Kebinatshipi not only won gold but also set a new national record and the world’s fastest time in 2025. His run was a combination of control, power, and fearlessness the kind that defines great champions.
Kebinatshipi’s performance was remarkable on multiple levels. He improved nearly seven-tenths of a second from his personal best of 44.22s earlier in the year an astronomical leap in elite sprinting terms. His time placed him just half a second behind Wayde van Niekerk’s legendary world record (43.03s from 2016). The victory established Botswana as the new benchmark in the 400m, confirming that the future of the event might belong to Africa once again.
A Historic Double for Botswana
The story didn’t end with Kebinatshipi’s individual triumph. His compatriot Bayapo Ndori clocked 44.20s to take the bronze medal, while a third Botswanan, Lee Eppie, finished eighth in the final. Three finalists from one country a feat once reserved for the U.S. or Jamaica now belonged to Botswana.
And then came the relay. In the men’s 4x400m, Botswana stunned the world by capturing gold in 2:57.76, becoming the first African nation ever to win the event at a World Championships. Anchored by Kebinatshipi, the team produced a thrilling finish as he surged past the United States’ Rai Benjamin in the final stretch. That moment, replayed endlessly across television and social media, symbolized a shift in global track power the rise of an African sprinting nation through strategy, focus, and belief. By the end of the championships, Botswana’s medal tally stood at two golds and one bronze the best in its history. From being outsiders to champions, the nation had redefined its sporting identity.
The Making of Botswana’s Success
Botswana’s journey to global success is no accident. It is the result of deliberate planning, flexible strategy, and a clear focus on the 400m as a national specialty. The Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) adopted a pragmatic approach: acknowledging the limitations of local infrastructure and choosing to invest in sending their top athletes abroad for training. Instead of pouring limited resources into building new facilities at home, Botswana prioritized international exposure and access to elite coaching environments.
That decision paid off spectacularly. Athletes like Kebinatshipi and Ndori benefited from specialized strength and biomechanical programs overseas, competing regularly against world-class opposition. The result was rapid improvement, both technically and mentally.
This model “performance over infrastructure” contrasts sharply with larger nations that often focus on building facilities before achieving consistent elite results. Botswana’s success has demonstrated that even with limited resources, a nation can achieve world-beating results through strategic partnerships, targeted investment, and the pursuit of excellence abroad.
India’s 400m Story: Progress, But Still Playing Catch-Up
For India, the 2025 World Championships highlighted the growing gulf between domestic progress and global competitiveness. No Indian athlete qualified for the 400m finals, underscoring the country’s ongoing struggles to translate national-level improvement into world-class performance. Still, there were signs of progress back home. In August 2025, Tamil Nadu’s TK Vishal broke the national record with a time of 45.12 seconds, surpassing Muhammed Anas’s 2019 mark of 45.21. It was a symbolic step forward proof that Indian sprinting continues to move in the right direction, even if the pace remains slow.
But in sprinting, a second is a lifetime. Vishal’s time is still nearly 1.6 seconds slower than Kebinatshipi’s gold-medal mark a vast gap at the elite level. To close it, India will need more than incremental progress. The country’s current structure spread across multiple training centers with inconsistent competition standards lacks the intensity and specialization required to produce sub-45 second athletes.
Experts argue that India must adopt a centralized, high-performance model focusing on a select few athletes with genuine global potential. Botswana’s example shows what’s possible when resources are focused sharply instead of being diluted across multiple schemes and disciplines.
Women’s 400m: Global Speed, Regional Progress
The women’s 400m in Tokyo 2025 was a showcase of all-time greatness. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA stormed to gold in 47.78s, the second-fastest time in history, just behind Marita Koch’s 47.60s world record. Marileidy Paulino (47.98s) and Salwa Eid Naser (48.19s) completed a podium that redefined global standards sub-48 seconds is now the new frontier of elite women’s one-lap running.
For Botswana and India, the women’s 400m remains a work in progress. Botswana’s sole entrant did not advance beyond the heats, though performances like Galefele Moroko’s 54.08s at home hint at an emerging base. India’s women, meanwhile, continue to shine regionally. Hima Das’s national record of 50.79s (set in 2018) still stands, with Kiran Pahal coming close at 50.92s in 2024. Rupal Chaudhary’s silver at the 2025 Asian Championships (52.68s) and Vithya Ramraj’s consistent form reflect steady, if gradual, improvement.
However, with the global medal standard now around 48 seconds, both nations face the same reality catching up requires a total transformation of their training and competition ecosystems. Botswana’s 2025 triumph represents what targeted ambition can achieve a small nation turning its focus into gold through efficiency and clarity of purpose. India’s journey, though marked by progress, remains slowed by structural inefficiencies and cultural barriers that discourage specialization in sprinting.
In Tokyo, Botswana proved that success is not limited to nations with vast resources. It is the product of bold decisions, belief in talent, and a willingness to adapt. For India and others watching, Botswana’s golden run was more than just a sporting triumph it was a roadmap. From Collen Kebinatshipi’s 43.53s world-beating run to the relay team’s dramatic finish, Botswana didn’t just win medals it changed the conversation about what’s possible for African athletics. And as the celebrations continue back in Gaborone, one truth is undeniable: Botswana has arrived.
