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University of Botswana Athletics Club (UBAC) athletes stamped their authority at the Orange Botswana National Championships with standout performers Junior Phatsima and Oarabile Hines leading a wave of qualifications to major international competitions.

Their performances secured places at the Confederation of Athletics Association (CAA) U20 Championships in Mauritius, the World Junior Championships in the United States, and the upcoming Confederation of University and College Sports Associations (CUCSA) Games.

Held at the National Stadium from the 3rd to 5th of April 2026, the three-day championship brought together Botswana’s top athletics talent. Entry into the competition was highly competitive, with athletes qualifying through the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) series and other recognised meets including official competitions in South Africa.

Phatsima was among the headline acts, claiming silver medals in both the 100m and 200m. He clocked a Personal Best (PB) of 10.66 seconds in the 100m and 21.35 seconds in the 200m. The performances secured his qualification for both the CAA U20 Championships in Mauritius and World Junior Championships in the United States of America.

Hines matched that feat in the women’s sprints, also taking silver in the 100m and 200m. She recorded PB of 12.45 seconds and 25.68 seconds respectively. Her results earned her qualification for the CUCSA Games and CAA U20 Championships while she remains in strong contention for the World Junior Championships.

Beyond the sprints, UBAC athletes continued to impress across disciplines. Olefile Kooagile delivered strong runs in the distance events, recording Season Bests (SB) of 14:19.72 in the 5000m and 3:51.19 in the 1500m, qualifying for the CUCSA Games in both. Joanna Hutton also secured CUCSA qualification with PB of 4:52.63 in the 1500m and 2:18.90 in the 800m. Tumisang Kebaneilwe posted a Season Best of 1:56.41 in the 800m while Thapelo Galeboe claimed silver in the 3000m steeplechase and added another CUCSA qualification in the 1500m.

UBAC fielded a strong and diverse team of 46 athletes across sprints, jumps, throws and distance events with additional athletes reinforcing the relay squads. Across the board, the team recorded several PBs and SBs, reflecting both depth and preparation.

In the relays, the much anticipated 4x100m senior men’s team, widely regarded as one of the most formidable, suffered a baton drop but showed resilience to recover and finish fourth.

The highlight of the relay programme came in the 4x400m senior men’s event. UBAC delivered a superb performance to finish second in 3:05.90, just behind Team Nigeria. The race drew considerable attention as Nigeria was pushing for World Relays qualification and UBAC proved more than competitive.

This year’s championships were staged earlier than usual, shifting from the traditional May calendar to April as Botswana prepares to host the World Relays for the first time. The event also featured exceptional performances from elite national athletes with several posting world-leading times, underscoring the high level of competition that UBAC athletes rose to meet.