25 April 2023 08:36| © SuperSport
The eyes of athletics fans throughout the world will be on Botswana this weekend where a host of Olympic and world champions will feature in the Golden Grand Prix, one of the highest-level track and field meetings of 2023.
SuperSport’s live broadcast of the action will begin at 2.30pm on Saturday (SS Grandstand and SuperSport Variety 3).
The 100m, traditionally the blue-riband event, will feature an astonishing five men with sub-10-second personal bests, among them Africa’s fastest man and record holder, Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya.
Also lining up will be world silver medallist Marvin Bracy (US), world and Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek (US), plus Canada’s world 4x100m gold medallist Aaron Brown and Liberian record-holder Emmanuel Matadi.
Andre de Grasse is the big international name on 200m pedigree but he is only opening his season. The event includes a showdown between Canadian relay world champions Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake with Botswana talent Letsile Tebogo sure to be lifted by the home support expected to number around 15 000 people.
Tebogo, the world junior 100m champion, last year won the Gaborone international meet in 9.96 sec and will be difficult to beat on his home track.
Liberian athlete Joseph Fahnbulleh is also running, and he dropped a 9.98 in Florida two weeks ago.
Isaac Makwala, arguably Botswana’s most consistent international talent, will also be on show, in the 400m. Six years ago, the former Commonwealth Games champion became the first man in history to run a 200m within 20 seconds and a 400m within 44 seconds on the same day, illustrating his speed and breadth of talent.
Legendary 400m runner Kirani James, the Olympic champion in 2012, will add spice to the event, although Makwala will be doubly determined: 2023 will be his final season and a winning sign-off in front of his passionate home fans would be the perfect way to complete his career.
Look out, too, for Lythe Pillay, the world junior 400m champion who twice in one day went sub-45 at the recent South African championship. He will give Kirani a run.
Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga may well crash the party given his profile as African and Commonwealth Games champion, yet another big-name entrant at this major event. Another star on show will be American Sha’Carri Richardson, who will run in the 200m. Two years ago she ran a blistering 10,72 sec 100m to become the sixth fastest women’s sprinter in history. The charismatic sprinter is one of the most colourful athletes on the circuit and will be among the biggest attractions.
Her form is red-hot: two weeks ago she ran a breezy 10.57 in Miramar.
Nigeria’s Ese Brume, the world indoor and outdoor silver medallist, leads the women’s long jump field. The African record holder be up against continental champion Marthe Koala of Burkina Faso and German Olympian Maryse Luzolo.
