GABORONE, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Botswana 400m runner Christine Botlogetswe says she is eyeing victory at the Shanghai Diamond League next month.
Botlogetswe said this after winning at the fourth edition of Gaborone International meet on home soil on Saturday afternoon, her first victory of the year.
The 23-year old ran a season best time of 52.17, beating compatriot Galefele Moroko and Namibia's Tjipekapora Herunga who finished second and third respectively.
Speaking to Xinhua at the end of the race, she said she has been working hard to improve her times at the start of the season and was almost near her peak form.
She said she now targets victory at China's premier one day athletics meeting on the 18th of May. "I have been improving steadily over the past year and I believe I will be in a good form to win it, it is always good coming against the world's best and I am looking forward to it," she said.
The Shanghai event will be the second stop of the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) circuit of one day meetings.
If she wins the race, Botlogetswe will join compatriot Amantle Montsho who has won the diamond league before.
Meanwhile the Gaborone meet saw many local athletes hitting qualifying times for the African Games slated for August in Morocco.
As expected Botswana dominated the men 400m race with Baboloki Thebe winning with a time of 45.34.
He was followed closely by two other locals Onkabetse Nkobolo (45.59) and Leungo Scotch (45.75) on second and third spot respectively.
The three of them qualified for the African Games. However it was disappointing day for Commonwealth Games champion Isaac Makwala who was making a return from a long injury layoff finishing sixth with a time of 47.00.
In other races on the day, Sidney Siame of Zambia won the men's 200m with a time of 20.71 beating Nigerian Jerry Kakpa for second with 20.84 while Zimbabwean Ngoni Makusha finished third with a time of 21.00.
In the women's 100m Botswana's Kaone Sebele was victorious with a time of 11.51 ahead of Nigeria's Joy-Udo Gabriel who ran 11.86 for second position.
Botswana also dominated the men's 800m where they took first and second positions.
The Gaborone meet is Botswana's only one-day international meet and this year attracted athletes from Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
