Botswana star aims high
by Mark Ouma 25 January 2011, 13:58
The Africa Junior 400m Champion Pako Seribe vows to make an impact in this his first year as a senior athlete.
At the tender age of 16, Seribe first attracted international attention when he bagged the silver medal in the 400m at the 2007 Africa Junior Championships in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Two years later he went one better, clinching the championship title in Mauritius with a personal best of 46.56 seconds.
Last year he won the one-lap race at the Southern Africa Junior Championships in Maputo. He then went on to reach the final of the 400m at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Canada.
“My ambitions last year were limited because I was in my last year at high school. My focus was on preparing well to pass my examinations and qualify for university education,” Seribe explains.
Nonetheless, the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) last year introduced Seribe to the rigors of senior competition. He was in Botswana’s 4x400m relay team at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar.
His first taste of silverware at the senior level soon followed. Seribe ran the third leg when Botswana clinched the 4x400m silver medal at the Africa Senior Championships in Nairobi last August.
Seribe recognised that his days competing as a junior were rapidly coming to an end. “The Southern Africa Zone Games at the Somhlohlo Stadium in Swaziland was my last competition as a junior,” Seribe noted.
“Since the beginning of this year I have come to terms with preparing to compete against the big guys. Currently I am recovering from a slight leg injury. I will soon be back training with senior athletes,” says Seribe.
“Now school exams are over there are no excuses. From now on I am going to race against more experienced athletes. This is a challenge and I am ready to work hard to meet all expectations.”