‘We Wanted the World Record’ - Letsile Tebogo Rues Missed Opportunity Despite Gold Medal Heroics at Home

Letsile Tebogo is disappointed that Botswana did not smash the world record in the 4x400m relay at the 2026 World Relays on Sunday.

The host nation brought the curtains down on the two-day event when they clocked an African record 2:54.47 to win gold in a race anchored by world 400m champion Collen Kebinatshipi.

In the final event of the weekend, the reigning world champions delivered a performance that exceeded the sky-high expectations of the home crowd. Their time not only set a new national record and the fastest mark ever at the World Relays but also stands as the third-fastest performance in history.

Lee Eppie gave Botswana a strong start with a 44.26-second opening leg before passing the baton to Tebogo. The Olympic 200m champion powered down the backstretch, but despite a blistering 43.50 split, he was overtaken by South Africa’s Lythe Pillay, who clocked a sensational 42.66—the fastest 4x400m split ever recorded.

Australia also entered the fray as Reece Holder ran a 43.12 on the second leg, making it clear that the host nation faced a tough battle for the gold.

On the third leg, Botswana's Bayapo Ndori pursued South African teenager Leendert Koekemoer, with Australia's Thomas Reynolds closing in on the leading pair. As the final exchange approached, the three teams were virtually inseparable.

Fortunately for Botswana, they had Kebinatshipi as their anchor. He drew level with South Africa’s Zakithi Nene and Australia’s Aidan Murphy with 200 metres remaining. The trio ran shoulder-to-shoulder before Kebinatshipi surged ahead on the home straight, spurred on by the deafening roar of the crowd.

He crossed the line in 2:54.47, shattering the previous championship record by nearly three seconds. South Africa secured second place in 2:55.07, with Australia taking third in 2:55.20. Portugal finished fourth (2:59.75), followed by Zimbabwe (2:59.79), the Netherlands (3:00.13), and Belgium (3:00.69), while Qatar was disqualified.

"We wanted to break the world record; we didn't care about the gold," said Eppie. "We polished the mistakes before we got into the race, and everything was perfect from start to finish."

Tebogo also weighed in, promising their rivals an even tough time in the upcoming championships.

“Even though the championship record was not part of our plans, the main plan was to break that world record which I believe we attempted,” said Tebogo.

“It is going to be so much trial and error until we reach that. Everyone here is not at their peak, I am not at my peak yet we decided to push and get everything out of ourselves.”

Tebogo admits running at home also added to their motivation as their supporters got to see first-hand what the athletes put in to make the country proud.

“It meant so many things to us, not just the team and crowd but for the people that have always cheered us behind the TV,” he added.

“Now they had that experience to see it first-hand how much effort and pressure and what we give for them because some say we were always playing around not giving our potential but I am glad they saw the energy.”