When Busang Collen Kebinatshipi crossed the finish line at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, he was leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the men’s 400 metres field.
The 22-year-old from Botswana had torn around one lap of the track in 43.39 seconds, another national record and a time that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list.
It was a continuation of an unbeatable season over 400m, winning six consecutive races before the Ultimate Championship, extending his record for the most sub-44-second performances in a single season while breaking the Diamond League record three times along the way.
Naturally, questions about Wayde van Niekerk’s world record (43.03) started to surface.
The South African’s mark has stood since that historic Olympic final in Rio 2016, a decade ago. Kebinatshipi knew it was unlikely to fall in Budapest, nor had he arrived intending to try. His season had been long, and there simply had not been “enough rest” to arrive at the final with a world-record attempt in his legs.
But that does not mean he’s stopped thinking about the world record.
“I would be lying if I said no,” Kebinatshipi told Olympics.com in Budapest. “Obviously it’s always running through my mind.”
“The world-record talks will be on the table maybe in LA28 or something,” he said, admitting there is still some “work to do”, particularly on the backstretch. He also describes himself as “still a bit light”. Gym work has not been a major component of his programme, and he believes greater strength could help unlock what comes next.
By his calculations, the record is possible, albeit challenging.
“If I go like 20.9 for the first 200, and then I go 22.0 or 22.1, it’s going to give us a 42.9,” he said.
For now, though, he is content to leave 43.03 where it is.
“The world record deserves to be up there,” Kebinatshipi said. “It’s an African record. It belongs to Africa, so no pressure.”
