Tebogo, Kebinatshipi, Simbine, Seville, Jackson, Thompson-Herah Lead Star Relay Cast for Botswana
The Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 will bring together some of the sport’s biggest names, with Olympic and world champions confirmed to represent their nations in relay squads on May 2-3.
Botswana’s home crowd will see their heroes in action. Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, who stunned the world with his sprinting brilliance, will anchor the men’s 4x100m.
Joining him is world 400m champion Collen Kebinatshipi, who will lead the 4x400m alongside Bayapo Ndori and Leungo Scotch, both members of Botswana’s world-title winning relay team.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine, one of the fastest men in history over 100m and a multiple Olympic finalist, returns to the relays after anchoring his nation to victory in the men’s 4x100m last year.
Jamaica’s squad is equally formidable, with world 100m champion Oblique Seville in the men’s 4x100m, while multiple Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah and two-time world champion Shericka Jackson headline the women’s team.
Their relay pedigree is unmatched, with Jamaica consistently among the world’s best in sprint relays.
Canada will field the quartet that won Olympic gold in 2024 and world silver in 2025, Andre De Grasse, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Aaron Brown, a team that has proven itself against the strongest competition.
The USA, a traditional relay powerhouse, has named Ronnie Baker and Courtney Lindsey, both part of the men’s 4x100m team that triumphed at the World Championships.
Spain’s women’s 4x400m team, victorious at the 2025 World Relays, will return with three of their champions, while Italy’s squad features world indoor 60m champion Zaynab Dosso. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland have also named experienced medal-winning relay specialists, ensuring fierce competition across all disciplines.
Nigeria’s squad lists, however, are notable for the absence of several top stars.
Reigning NCAA indoor 60m champion Kanyinsiola Ajayi, Paris 2024 400m finalist Samuel Ogazi, Tokyo 400m hurdles finalist Nathaniel Ezekiel, and world record holder Tobi Amusan, who has previously featured in Nigeria’s 4x100m relay, are all missing.
Rising talents Israel Okon, Tima Godbless and Ella Onojuvwevwo, the current world leader in the women’s 400m with 49.57, are also absent, leaving Nigeria without some of its most accomplished and promising athletes.
In total, according to World Athletics, 723 athletes from 40 nations will compete, with teams chasing relay glory and qualification spots for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and this year’s World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
