Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Botswana triumphed in the men's 4x400m relay at the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26, finishing in a competition record time of 2:54.47. This not only set a national record for Botswana but also ranks as the third-fastest time ever recorded in the event. The performance electrified the National Stadium as the host nation clinched the final race of the weekend.
The Botswana relay team featured Lee Eppie, who started with a 44.26-second leg, followed by Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, who ran 43.50 seconds. South Africa’s Lythe Pillay, with a 42.66 split, briefly overtook Tebogo on the second leg. Australia and South Africa remained strong contenders throughout, with Reece Holder and Thomas Reynolds delivering notable performances.
Bayapo Ndori ran the third leg for Botswana, competing closely with South Africa’s Leendert Koekemoer and Australia’s Thomas Reynolds. World champion Collen Kebinatshipi anchored the final leg, pulling away from South Africa’s Zakithi Nene and Australia’s Aidan Murphy in the home stretch to secure victory.
South Africa finished second with 2:55.07, and Australia was third at 2:55.20—marking the fifth and sixth-fastest 4x400m relay times in history. The event marked the first World Athletics Series competition held in Botswana and saw multiple world leads, area records, and national records set over the weekend.
Lee Eppie said the team aimed to break the world record and achieved their goal by perfecting their execution before the race. Olympic champion Tebogo described the moment as the best in his career and voiced confidence in further achievements.