Thu Sep 25 03:30:00 UTC 2025: **Botswana Declares National Holiday After Historic 4x400m Victory at World Athletics Championships**
**Gaborone, Botswana** – Botswana has declared a national public holiday for Monday, September 29th, to celebrate its groundbreaking victory in the men’s 4×400 metres relay at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The Botswanan team, comprised of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, triumphed over the United States, snapping their decade-long dominance in the event and securing the nation’s first-ever gold medal in the competition.
President Duma Boko, currently attending the UN General Assembly in New York, hailed the victory as a “historic African win” and praised the team’s outstanding performance in a rain-soaked race. “Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground, they are our World Champion athletes,” he declared, adding that the victory reflected the country’s rising stature on the global stage. South Africa secured the bronze medal in the same race.
The national holiday falls the day before Botswana’s Independence Day, making for a long weekend of celebration.
This year’s World Athletics Championships were Botswana’s most successful yet, with the nation finishing fifth overall in the medal standings with two golds, one silver, and one bronze. This follows last year’s historic win when Letsile Tebogo secured Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m at the Paris Olympics, prompting similar national celebrations.
First Piper 