Kutlo Motseta
18th April 2025
Botswana has seen a crop of athletes prosper over the last few years resulting in global adulation. Ironically one of them is late bloomer Kethobogile Haingura.
Kethobogile means ‘I have given up’ in the Tswana language. Haingura early years were tough and he may not have become one of Africa’s athletics ambassadors, had he not had the opportunity and foresight to put his heart into the sport, which has capitulated him to the forefront of world athletics.
“I started races in form 1, but was in and out of school and left in form 3. It was tough at home. But I trained even when I didn’t have money for transport … I would have to see what to do. I realised that after leaving school – due to difficult circumstances – that I was not going to have a way out. Mr Mabua Mabua helped me and would pay for my transport and also Max Ndolo and Kebonyemodisa “Dose” Mosimannyane,” said Haingura.
Most athletes starting showing promise in track and field in their late teens especially, but he left school and was like many students was adversely affected by the suspension of sport during Covid-19 where athletes are customarily groomed. After his athletics coach, Mr Marewa got transferred, he stayed at home until he was lured by coaches back to the track.
He resumed training in earnest at the Maun Athletics Club in 2022.
In 2024 he transferred to South Africa. The professionalism in Pretoria helped him to maintain his focus.
“In Pretoria my accommodation and food was paid for, ‘that’s when’ I realised that I had not come to play. I met Tshepo Maselela, Tumo Nkapo and Orsatile Nowe and others,” he added.
That same year Haingura went onto win the silver medal at the African Championships and was a semi-finalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which became his awakening moment in terms of his potential.
“The Paris Olympics gave me lots of confidence … the [recent] FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix helped me realise that my life is on the track and nowhere else”.
Haingura stormed to a first-place finish before a roaring stadium packed home crowd beating world class competition in 1:44.18 minutes in the 800m.
Hanguira currently holds the second fastest time in the world in the 800m, 1:43.88 minutes and has been invited as a challenger to attend the historic Grand Slam athletics competition in the United States of America (USA) on the 2nd to 4th May 2025.
The Grand Slam is a new competition which was introduced this year by Michael Jonhson and offers the biggest prize in the history of athletics, ahead of athletics’ main events, the Olympics and World Championships. The winner at each competition gets awarded US$100 000 (P1.3 million), whilst the 8th placed athletes earns US$ 10 000 (P130 000). New challengers are introduced for each competition. However, athletes must compete in two events and acquire sufficient aggregate points to win the first place.
It is a four-meeting series, which started in Kingston, Jamaica (5th and 7th April 2025). The remaining meeting will be hosted in the in Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angles in the USA.
Haingura is taking the new competition seriously. “It’s a big race, I compare it to the Olympics, it’s not a low tier race. I am happy to be competing,” he said.
Haingura will be competing in the 400m and 1500m on the 2nd and 3rd May 2025 in the USA.
“I hope to get a top 4 finish in the 800m and top 2 finish in the 800m”, said the new ‘sports ambassador’.
Whilst many athletes are in their prime and well known by the mid-twenties, Haingura did not let the life’s obstacles derail him from fulfilling his potential.
In the words off C.S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream”. Haingura is now counted amongst the forerunners in world athletics and is growing in his stature as a sports ambassador for Botswana and Africa as he sets his sights on the Grand Slam, the season ahead and the World Championships in September.
