Botswana’s has fired warning shots at Emmanuel Wanyonyi, Marco Arop and Djamel Sedjati as he plots a grand return to the global stage next season, specifically aiming for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Nijel Amos was suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for testing positive for the banned substance GW1516 and received a reduction on the standard four-year ban for admitting to the charges. He now seeks a comeback next season, with the intent of taking the crown in the 800m, claiming that is where he belongs.
The Botswana runner is set to sell the country’s first Olympics medal to cushion his family after he was handed a three-year suspension by AIU
In an interview with the , Amos explained plans to also improve his time in the 400m, disclosing that he is still able to run faster times despite having not trained well. However, his main focus will be on the 800m.
“I’m going to focus on myself first, you know, I still have to get back to the level I was, you know. I have always been a 400m and 800m runner, 44.91 seconds without training so I have always been both,” Nijel Amos said.
“I’m coming back there to come to improve my times, to improve my 400m times and my 800m times. I’m looking at both events but mostly, my focus is on the 800m, the king has been in exile, I need to come back and get my chair, you know, I need to come and get my throne,” he added.
was a promising 800m runner who claimed a silver medal in the men’s race at the 2012 London Olympic Games, the same year that David Rudisha shattered the 800m world record.
He went on to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games but failed to live up to the billing. In Rio, the Motswana runner finished seventh in the heats and could not proceed to the final. At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he got to the final but finished distant eighth.
Nijel Amos missed the Paris Olympic Games as he is still serving a ban but Botswana was well represented with the presence of and the men’s 4x400m relay team. Tebogo became the first Motswana to win a gold medal in the men’s 200m and also anchored the relay team to a silver medal.
Janeth Jekosgei has donated the piece of clothing that she wore when she won the 800m world title in 2007