Isaac Makwala

Last updated

Isaac Makwala
Resisprint 2015.jpg
Makwala in 2015
Personal information
Born (1985-09-24) 24 September 1985 (age 39)
Tutume, Botswana
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s) 200 metres, 400 metres
ClubFrancistown Athletics Club
Updated on 17 September 2015

Isaac Makwala (born 24 September 1985) is a Botswana sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.

Contents

Career

He was the gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. He has also won continental titles at the distance, winning at the 2015 African Games and twice at the African Championships in Athletics (2012, 2014). He has represented his country Botswana at the 2016 Summer Olympics, three times at the Commonwealth Games, and five times at the World Championships in Athletics (2007, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017). With the Botswana 4 × 400 metres relay team he has won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, a silver medal at the 2017 IAAF World Relays and medals at the African Games and Championships.

His personal best time of 43.72, set 5 July 2015 in La Chaux-de-Fonds was an African continental record and ranks him 13th on the all-time list. He is also a sub-20 200 metres runner.

On July 14, 2017, Isaac Makwala became the first man in history to run a 200 m within 20 seconds and a 400 m within 44 seconds on the same day by running 43.92 in the 400, then 19.77 (no wind) in the 200, 2 hours and 20 minutes later at the Meeting de Atletismo Madrid. [1] [2]

He qualified for 400m final at the 2017 World Championships, before being withdrawn from the race, due to illness. He then qualified for the 200 m final, placing overall sixth.

He competed in the 400m at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing 7th in the final.

Major competitions record

Representing Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2007 All-Africa Games Algiers, Algeria17th (sf)400 m 47.02
1st4 × 400 m relay 3:03.16
World Championships Osaka, Japan14th (h)4 × 400 m relay 3:05.96
2008 African Championships Addis Ababa, Ethiopia2nd400 m 45.64
4th4 × 400 m relay 3:06.54
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany34th (h)400 m 46.45
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar– (h)4 × 400 m relay DQ
African Championships Nairobi, Kenya14th (sf)400 m 46.92
2nd4 × 400 m relay 3:05.16
Commonwealth Games Melbourne, Australia20th (sf)400 m 47.07
5th4 × 400 m relay 3:04.65
2011 All-Africa Games Maputo, Mozambique7th400 m 46.78
2012 World Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey5th (h)4 × 400 m relay 3:13.21 (NR)
African Championships Porto Novo, Benin1st400 m 45.25
4 × 400 m relay DQ
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia28th (h)200 m 20.84
22nd (h)4 × 400 m relay 3:05.74
2014 Commonwealth Games Glasgow, United Kingdom9th (sf)400 m 45.57
African Championships Marrakech, Morocco2nd200 m 20.51
1st400 m 44.23
1st4 × 400 m relay 3:01.89
2015 World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 8th4 × 400 m relay 3:03.73
World Championships Beijing, China5th400 m 44.63
9th (h)4 × 400 m relay 2:59.95
African Games Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo1st400 m 44.35
2nd4 × 400 m relay 3:00.95
2016 African Championships Durban, South Africa4th400 m 46.58
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil22nd (sf)400 m 46.60
5th4 × 400 m relay 2:59.06
2017 World Relays Nassau, Bahamas 2nd4 × 400 m relay 3:02.28
World Championships London, United Kingdom6th200 m 20.44
4th (sf)400 m 44.30 1
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia1st400 m 44.35
1st4 × 400 m relay 3:01.78
2019 African Games Rabat, Morocco 8th (sf)400 m 46.55
2021 World Relays Chorzów, Poland 3rd4 × 400 m relay 3:04.77
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 7th400 m 44.94
3rd4 × 400 m relay 2:57.27
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 21st (sf)400 m 46.04
6th4 × 400 m relay 3:00.14

1Did not start in the final

Personal bests

Track records

As of 16 September 2024, Makwala holds the following track records for 200 metres and 400 metres.

200 metres

LocationTimeWindspeed
m/s
Date
Madrid 19.770.014/07/2017

400 metres

LocationTimeDate
Brazzaville 44.3515/09/2015
Gold Coast
Queensland
44.3510/04/2018
La Chaux-de-Fonds 43.72
NR
05/07/2015
Marrakesh 44.2312/08/2014

References

  1. "Centro Deportive Municipal Moratalaz" [Moratalaz Municipal Sports Center](PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2017.
  2. "Makwala achieves historic 200m-400m double in Madrid | REPORT | World Athletics".