The Most Famous
ATHLETES from Botswana
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Motswana Athletes of all time. This list of famous Motswana Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Amantle Montsho (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 37.97, Amantle Montsho is the most famous Motswana Athlete. Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages on wikipedia.
Amantle Montsho (born July 4, 1983) is a female sprinter from Botswana who specializes in the 400 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, reaching the final at the latter edition. She was the first woman to represent Botswana at the Olympics. She has also competed at the World Championships in Athletics and the IAAF World Indoor Championships, and is the former World Champion over the 400m, winning in a personal best time of 49.56 in Daegu. Montsho was suspended for two years for an anti-doping rule violation after she tested positive for methylhexaneamine at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. A two-time African Championships gold medallist over 400 m, she has also won titles in the event at the 2007 All-Africa Games, the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Her Commonwealth win made her Botswana's first-ever gold medallist of the games. Her personal best times are 11.60 seconds in the 100m, 22.89 seconds in the 200m, and 49.33 seconds in the 400m. She trains at the High Performance Training Centre in Dakar, Senegal, and She holds the national record for the 400 m both indoors and outdoors.
2. Letsile Tebogo (b. 2003)
With an HPI of 30.37, Letsile Tebogo is the 2nd most famous Motswana Athlete. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Letsile Tebogo (/lɪt͡silɛ tɛbʊho/ Lee-tsi-leh Te-boo-hoh) (born 7 June 2003) is a Botswana sprinter. He achieved the silver medal at the 2023 World Championships in the 100 m and followed it up with a bronze medal in the 200 m 5 days later. Tebogo won in the 100 metres and placed second in the 200 metres at both the 2021 and 2022 World Athletics Under-20 Championships. In 2021, Tebogo became the first Botswana athlete to claim the 100m title at any World Championships level. He is the 200m 2022 African champion, becoming the youngest winner of this title in competition history. Tebogo broke the 300m world best, running a time of 30.69 seconds on February 17, 2024 at altitude in Pretoria, South Africa. Tebogo held the world U20 record in the 100m between April 2022 and July 2023. He was the first man from Botswana to break the 10-second barrier.
3. Isaac Makwala (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 29.50, Isaac Makwala is the 3rd most famous Motswana Athlete. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Isaac Makwala (born 24 September 1985) is a Botswana sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.
4. Nijel Amos (b. 1994)
With an HPI of 23.58, Nijel Amos is the 4th most famous Motswana Athlete. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.
Nijel Carlos Amilfitano Amos (born 15 March 1994) is a Botswana middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He won the silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, which was Botswana's first ever Olympic medal. Amos claimed gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 All-Africa Games. At the African Championships in Athletics, he took golds in 2014, 2016 and 2018. He won the gold medal in his specialist event at the 2012 World Under-20 Championships. Amos is the Botswana record holder for the 800 m, his mark is also the world U20 record. He is a three-time Diamond League 800 m winner. On 12 July 2022, Amos was provisionally suspended from competition for testing positive for metabolite GW1516. On 3 May 2023, it was announced that he had received backdated three-year doping ban which would end on 11 July 2025.
5. Baboloki Thebe (b. 1997)
With an HPI of 19.67, Baboloki Thebe is the 5th most famous Motswana Athlete. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Baboloki Tirelo Thebe (born 18 March 1997) is a Botswana track and field sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. He was a silver medallist in the 200 metres at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics. He reached the semi-finals at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. He made a breakthrough in the 400 m in May 2016 with a run of 44.22 seconds, placing him third on the global seasonal lists and moving him into the all-time top 30 for the event. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics. His personal best in 400 meters is 44.02, which he ran in July 2017
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Motswana athletes born between 1983 and 2003. Of these 5, 5 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Motswana athletes include Amantle Montsho, Letsile Tebogo, and Isaac Makwala. As of April 2024, 1 new Motswana athletes have been added to Pantheon including Letsile Tebogo.
Living Motswana Athletes
Go to all Rankings
Amantle Montsho
1983 - Present
HPI: 37.97
Letsile Tebogo
2003 - Present
HPI: 30.37
Isaac Makwala
1985 - Present
HPI: 29.50
Nijel Amos
1994 - Present
HPI: 23.58
Baboloki Thebe
1997 - Present
HPI: 19.67
