To mark Botswana’s victory as the first African country to win the men’s 4×400 meters at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, the country has declared a public holiday.
In an online address praising the team’s performance, President Duma Boko hailed the gold medal as a “historic African win.”
He made the announcement that Monday, September 29 would be a holiday to honor his accomplishments, one day before the nation’s day of independence.
The president, speaking from New York where he is speaking at the UN General Assembly, said, “I’ll make sure to tell everyone that Botswana’s natural diamonds are our World Champion athletes.
He said the performance “electrifying,” adding that it reflected Botswana’s rise to prominence on a global scale.
The country’s best ever return came after taking two gold, one silver, and one bronze, placing them fifth overall in the championship’s medal standings, just behind the US, Kenya, the Netherlands, and Canada.
Botswana won its first gold medal in the men’s 200 meter race in Paris last year, marking another historic moment.
After returning to the country, his victory, which was also the first time an African athlete had won the event, became a national hit, with tens of thousands of people applauding him at the National Stadium in Gaborone.
Source: BBC
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