Tokyo 2025: Botswana stuns USA to claim Africa's first 4x400m world title in history

On a rainy night in Tokyo, Botswana were not to be denied their historic moment, defeating the almighty Team USA to claim Africa's first men's 4x400m world title in history.

The squad Lee Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and newly crowned world champion Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, individually gave brilliant performances to bring the baton home in an exceptional 2:57:76.

Kebinatshipi gave the best performance for the team, catching up and beating 400mH world champion Rai Benjamin on anchor as the Americans finished second in 2:57.83, just ahead of South Africa in third with the same time.

With their victory, Botswana became only the second African nation to win a relay gold at the World Championships, following South Africa’s triumph in the men’s 4x100m in 2001 in Edmonton, Canada.

The South Africans also made history in Tokyo by becoming the first African nation to win three medals in the same relay discipline. (Bronze in 1999 and silver in 2011).

The successes of Botswana and South Africa, along with other African nations that excelled in Tokyo, demonstrate that the continent is on the rise, and the next few years will be pivotal in witnessing more historic moments at the world championships.