Gaborone, CMC: Former Olympic and World 400 meters champion Kirani James headlines the list of athletes from the English-speaking Caribbean looking to make a statement at this year’s Botswana Golden Grand Prix on Saturday.
This is the first World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet in southern Africa. The 31-year-old Grenadian will be hoping for a solid performance to kick-start a season in which he will again try to claim the world title in Budapest, Hungary.
James will run for the first time this year and faces a field that includes Olympic finalist Isaac Makwala of Botswana, world Under-20 champion Lythe Pillay of South Africa, and Commonwealth Games champion Muzala Samukonga of Zambia.
In the women’s 400, Olympic and world finalist Candice McLeod of Jamaica takes on world 800 bronze medallist Mary Moraa, who dropped down to contest the one-lap race, as well Kyra Jefferson of the United States, and Naledi Lopang and Thompang Basele of Botswana.
Commonwealth Games champion La Quan Nairn of the Bahamas will face a stiff challenge in the men’s long jump.
He is expected to meet the American pair of 2016 world indoor champion Marquis Dendy and 2017 world silver medallist Jarrion Lawson, the South African duo of Ruswahl Samaai and Cheswill Johnson, and hometown jumper Thapelo Monaiwa, who has leaped a personal best of 8.12 meters this season.
One of the highlights of the meet will be local talent Letsile Tebogo taking on the 100 and 200 against global medallists such as Andre De Grasse and Kenny Bednarek. At the same time, American starlet Sha’Carri Richardson tests herself over the half lap.
In another marquee event, Ese Brume of Nigeria and Lorraine Ugen of Great Britain claimed long jump silver and bronze at last year’s World Indoor Championships in the Serbia capital of Belgrade.
They clashed again in the World Championship final in the American city of Oregon – where Brume secured silver – and in the Commonwealth Games last in the English city of Birmingham – won by Brume – and now they meet again.
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