• Says winning a medal that he does not have in his cabinet will give him a complete set of victories around the world
A World Athletics Championships medal has eluded Amos for years now. Despite winning medals at competitions like the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, and African Championships, good fortune has always shown Amos its backside at the World Athletics Championships where he has never won a medal.
He did not take part during the 2013 edition which was staged in Moscow, Russia owing to injuries. Two years later, Amos failed to make a mark at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China where he was knocked out in the semi-finals and consequently had to deal with an onslaught of criticism from Batswana when he returned home. Mishap continued to stalk Amos at the World Athletics Championships as he finished fifth in the finals in the 2017 edition in London, UK. The 2019 World Athletics Championships (held in Doha, Qatar) would prove to be as bad as the previous one for Amos as he exited the competition in the early stages owing to injury.
Nevertheless, Amos aims to make all this history at this year’s World Athletics Championships that are slated for Oregon, USA. Significantly, Oregon has been Amos’s training base since 2017 under the tutelage of renowned athletics coach Mark Rowland. “I feel strongly that it is my time to win the only medal that is lacking in my cabinet – a World Athletics Championships medal,” Amos told local sports journalists recently.
“Not only am I going to win but I am going for gold. The love and support of the community of Oregon will fuel me to win the gold. I have been training there for years and it now feels like home. So I expect the crowd energy to give me that flow.” This year’s extraordinary showcase (World Athletics Championships) will take centre stage in the heart and home of track and field in Eugene, Oregon in the from 15 to 24 July. The championships will be taking place in the United States for the very first time.
It will not be a surprise if Amos storms to gold in Oregon considering his enormous talent. This is the athlete who on a fine day in 2012 left the world awestruck after he earned an 800m silver medal at the London Olympics, the country’s first-ever podium honour at the global sporting showpiece.
The then 18-year-old lad caused spasms of elation and joy in Botswana when he finished second behind Kenyan, David Rudisha, in a blistering 800m final, recording a time of 1:41.73 seconds. This was the third-fastest time in the history of the 800m. What was particularly interesting about the time was that it was recorded by a teenager who was largely unknown to the rest of the world when he arrived in London and was expected to only take part to gain some competition experience.
Amos’s medal was widely celebrated in Botswana mostly because after three decades of participating in the Olympic Games, Botswana had finally won a medal.
