Arguably Botswana’s best sprinter of the moment, African 400m champion Baboloki Thebe has returned from Italy where he has been receiving treatment after an injury that ruled him out of the Rio Olympic Games.
Thebe’s injury forced him to withdraw from the 400m event at the Games in Brazil. The 19-year-old sprinting sensation returns to the tracks next week with light training.
Thebe’s unfortunate injury came when he was on top of his game before pulling out of the Olympic Games. He had only managed to compete in the 400m heats before crushing out despite qualifying for the next round. It has been revealed that Thebe will be ready for his next assignments expected to resume early next year.
In an interview with Sunday Standard, Thebe confirmed that he had been under injury surveillance in Europe and was doing much better. ‘’It was not an easy journey for me at the Olympic Games; I had ambitions but they were cancelled due to injury but all is not lost. I went for treatment in Italy for two weeks and came back last week feeling much comfortable and ready to continue from where I left,” said Thebe.
Thebe is looking to impress next season. “The doctors and specialists in Italy have said the injury is not career threatening after conducting the scan so for now I will go back to the track this coming week for light training,” he said.
He added that despite not featuring much at the Olympics Games, he learnt a lot from experienced runners in terms of discipline and other aspects of preparing for races. “We have learnt a lot from the likes of Kirani James and Wayde Van Niekerk on how to prepare your nerves ahead of big competitions. Our intentions are to make an impact in the international stage and show the world that there is talent in our country,” Thebe told Sunday Standard.
For his part, Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) Vice President Glody Dube said the injury was a concern to the association. “It was worrisome to us looking at the talent this boy has, we are still awaiting a report from the Botswana National Olympics Committee on the developments of the treatment,” said Dube.
He added that Thebe was among the best in the world and he needed a quick recovery to boost his confidence.
“Thebe is now a threat to the best in the world; he went for treatment in Italy and we believe if he recovers well in time, he will make a difference in the track world in the near future,” Dube told Sunday Standard.
