Kenya's Jarinter Mawia to face fellow greats at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix

ATHLETICS Kenya's Jarinter Mawia to face fellow greats at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix

Abigael Wafula 16:35 - 25.04.2023

The continental event is scheduled for Saturday, April 29.

The reigning Africa 800m champion Jarinter Mawia will be lining up against a strong field at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix scheduled for Saturday, April 29 at the National Stadium in Gaborone.

Mawia, who will be competing in the two-lap race, has a personal best time of 1:59.84. She will enjoy the company of compatriot Naomi Korir, the 2019 Africa 800m bronze medallist.

https://twitter.com/GrandPrixBW/status/1647591925426409474?s=20

The Kenyan duo is bound to face stiff competition since the race has attracted some of the greatest 800m women from around the world.

South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso will be lining up in the field with a personal best time of 1:58.41. Sekgodiso has had a great build-up of the season and so far, has competed in five 800m races where she won all of them.

She poses as Mawia’s greatest threat as she has only competed in two 800m races in her indoor tour and will be kickstarting her outdoor tour in Botswana. At the Gothenburg Games on February 2, she managed a third-place finish before settling for second place at the IFAM Gent Indoor Tour on February 4. 

Another athlete to look out for is Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu who has a PB of 1:56.71 over the 800m race. Alemu will be opening her season at the event since July last year when she had a disappointing exit at the World Championships in Oregon.

She settled for eighth place in the semifinal race of the 800m and could not proceed to the final. Youngster Firezewid Tesfaye of Ethiopia will also be keen to upset the seniors when she lines up.

Others in the race include South Africa’s Gena Lofstrand, Slovenia’s Petja Klojcnik, and Belgium’s Camille Laus. The duo of Oratile Nowe and Kelebogile Bile will be looking to shine on home soil.