Botswana has declared September 29 as a public holiday in celebration of the country’s first-ever gold medal in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.

The quartet of Lee Bhekempilo Eppie, Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Collen Kebinatshipi stunned the United States to secure their victory, making Botswana the first African nation to win the event.

According to an Olympics news report, during a video call with the team on Sunday, President Duma Boko praised the athletes for the achievement.

“Congratulations, my boys! The nation is proud, everybody is delirious about you guys, and we love you so much,” he said.

In a statement shared on X, President Boko said, “A quick moment to congratulate our boys on their historic gold medal victory… feeling so proud here in New York, where I’ll be attending the United Nations 80th General Assembly meetings. I’ll be sure to tell everyone, Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground, they are our World Champion athletes! September 30th is our official Independence Day, and the 29th has been declared a public holiday.”

The declaration echoes national celebrations in 2024, when Tebogo’s 200m triumph at the Paris Olympics, a first for Africa, was marked with a half-day holiday.