Nowe qualifies for Olympics by ranking
The celebrated 800m runner, Oratile Nowe, aims to represent Botswana at the Paris 2024 Olympics that will be held this year from July 26 to Aug 11 in France. Currently holding the 34th position in global rankings, and if things remained constant, Nowe has secured her place to qualify by ranking since 56 top ranked female runners automatically qualify. She however said that she is pushing to qualify on the track.
The 23-year-old Serowe native has made significant strides in athletics, achieving both national and personal bests. She became the first female Motswana to complete the 800m race in under 2 minutes, recently clocking 1:59.69 in South Africa, breaking the national record and coming within 29 seconds of Paris 24 qualification. Despite already qualifying by ranking, she remains determined to achieve the Olympic qualifying time.
Over the weekend, Nowe successfully defended her 800m national title at the Botswana Athletics Association National Championships, winning a gold medal. She went on to be named Sportswoman of the Year at the Botswana National Sports Commission Awards, recognizing her outstanding achievements in athletics for the past year. Nowe, currently based in South Africa under the coaching of Samuel Sepeng, expressed her ambitions in a recent interview with Sun Sport. She shared her goal of reaching her peak performance this season and targeting personal bests. With a desire to become a prominent figure in athletics, she mentioned her focus on the upcoming Europe season, where she hopes to achieve Olympic qualifying times.
“I feel that I have significantly grown in athletics. The transition from not taking it seriously to now being fully committed is a major milestone for me. Discipline-wise, I've improved greatly. Now, I know what I want to achieve, and nobody has to push me to train. I consistently motivate myself to become better each day,” she said. “On my journey to the 2024 Olympics, there's a chance I might qualify due to my ranking. Currently, I'm ranked 34th, and the Olympics include the top 56 athletes. I believe that if I perform consistently in two more races, I'll undoubtedly secure my spot for Paris 2024. However, I don't want to rely solely on rankings for qualification. My goal is to achieve the qualifying time and prove that I'm there to deliver a strong performance. I want to enter the competition with confidence,” Nowe added.
Reflecting on her journey, Nowe shared that she grew up playing football. Along the way, she began participating in marathons and she was constantly winning. During her time in senior school, she transitioned to track long-distance races, such as the 1000m and 1500m. Eventually, she joined the national junior teams and continued to excel, ultimately focusing on the 800m race, which is her primary focus, alongside the 4x400m relay events. Nowe admitted that she initially hesitated to pursue athletics, as she found herself juggling both football and athletics for a period of time.
“When I broke into the national team at the young age of 16, I realized athletics was my true calling. From that moment on, I took it seriously, all the way through senior school. It was during this time that my coaches introduced me to the 400m race, where I achieved the fastest time and was ranked within the top 6 women in Botswana in 2019. Following this success, I joined the senior national team for relay events and had the opportunity to participate in the World Championships,” Nowe stated.
Commenting on female runners from Botswana, Nowe observed a decline in their presence during international competitions, but also acknowledged the potential of several up-and-coming athletes who are showing signs of improvement. She highlighted that while there is no shortage of talent among these female runners, it is only that with females, it takes time to have passion and determination in athletics. “If I were the President of the Botswana Athletics Association, my priority would be to consistently organize training camps for female runners and closely monitor their progress from a young age. This way, they can reach their full potential and have ample opportunities to discover their talents in athletics. It's crucial to invest in their development early on, rather than wait until they're older, to ensure they can fully compete and excel in the sport,” Nowe said.