Olympics-Athletics-Botswanans eye first ever medal

By Mitch Phillips

BEIJING, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Amantle Montsho and Kabelo Kgosiemang are bidding to win Botswana's first-ever Olympic medal and each go into the Games with a fighting chance of doing so.

Montsho shares the fastest 400 metres time of the year with Allyson Felix but the American is racing only the 200 at the Games.

Sanya Richards, another American, is the only other person to have dipped under 52 seconds this year and starts favourite for the Aug. 19 final.

British world champion Christine Ohuruogu and Jamaicans Novelene Williams and Rosemarie Whyte should also be in the mix but Montsho has nothing to fear.

"I know all eyes are on me. I am the world leader and I hope to surprise my country and the people all around," the 25-year old told www.iaaf.org.

She posted her time of 49.83, a personal best by over a second, at altitude in Ethiopia when winning the African championships in May but was not surprised.

"I was expecting this time," she said. "I had been training for the African Champs since January."

A year ago her best was over 52 seconds but she took that down to 50.90 when reaching the world championship semi-finals before breaking the 50-second barrier in Addis Ababa.

SOLID OUTINGS

Three solid outings in Europe since then have helped her confidence.

"I have dreamed of the final," she said. "If I get there, it will be serious.

"Back home they are very proud of me and wishing me good luck."

High jumper Kgosiemang improved his national record to 2.34m to win his African title in May, a height that would have won him a medal in most previous Games.

"It's a great feeling and I am looking forward to it," he said. "I am focused, confident and ready. Botswana has never won a medal in the Olympics so it would be a pleasure for me to win."

The 22-year-old said any Botswanan success in Beijing would be a massive boost for athletics in the southern African country where soccer is king.

"Every kid would grow up and their parents would take them to a football field without trying to find out where they are talented," he said.

"They just buy them a ball and they play football. There is a lot of talent for athletics."

Long jumper Gable Garenamotse, who finished fourth at this year's world indoor championships, is also in Beijing but is a long outsider in his event.

Glody Dube became the first Botswanan to reach an Olympic athletics final when he finished seventh in the Sydney 800 metres, and the men's 4x400m team reached the final in Athens four years later.