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“I played a lot of sport as a child: volleyball, football… When I was 17, I was spotted during a football match by an athletics coach, who is still my coach today. He convinced me to take up athletics,” says Kebinatshipi. He has absolutely no regrets about his decision…
“My world title in Tokyo last year caused quite a stir in Botswana, just like Letsile Tebogo’s Olympic 200-metre title. Together with Bayapo Ndori and Lee Eppie, we also won the world title in the 4×400 metres. Not bad for a country with just 2.5 million inhabitants. Young athletes look up to us and see what’s possible if you train hard and give it your all. Botswana has the potential to achieve much more in the coming years, and not just in the sprint events,” predicts Kebinatshipi.
Kebinatshipi (PB 43.44) does not dare to predict whether he will ever beat Wayde van Niekerk’s world record (43.03). “First and foremost, I want to win that Diamond League trophy here in Brussels on Friday. And I always hope to run faster than I ever have before. But above all, I want to be consistent in my performances and not rush things. Wayde is, in fact, my great role model. We regularly send messages to each other. He motivates me and is a great source of inspiration.”