Botswana at the 2012 Summer Olympics
| Botswana at the 2012 Summer Olympics |
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| IOC code | BOT | ||||||||
| NOC | Botswana National Olympic Committee | ||||||||
| in London | |||||||||
| Competitors | 4 in 2 sports | ||||||||
| Flag bearer |
Amantle Montsho (opening) Oteng Oteng (closing) |
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Medals Ranked 69th |
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| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |||||||||
Botswana competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's ninth appearance at the Olympics.
Botswana National Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation in its Olympic history. Four athletes from Botswana were selected to the team, competing only in athletics and boxing. Track star and sole female athlete Amantle Montsho, who considered a pre-Olympic favourite, became a strong contender to win Botswana's first Olympic medal; however, she missed out of the medal standings in the women's 400 metres, finishing only in fourth place. Montsho was also appointed by the committee to be Botswana's flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
Despite being the nation's smallest delegation, Botswana left London with its first ever Olympic medal, when track runner Nijel Amos finished second in the men's 800 metres.
Three track and field athletes from Botswana participated at the London games after having achieved qualifying standards in their respective events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard). Track runner Isaac Makwala, competing in the men's 400 metres, did not advance into the semi-finals after finishing fourth in the heats. Amantle Montsho, Botswana's only female athlete and 2011 world champion, favored to win Botswana's first ever medal in the women's 400 metres, but finished in a disappointing fourth place. Her results became arbitrary, whether her coach's failure to obtain a VISA to the Olympics might have been a contributing factor. 2012 world junior champion and another Olympic hopeful Nijel Amos, however, qualified successfully in the early rounds of the men's 800 metres, and ended the nation's medal drought by obtaining his silver in the final event.
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