Image caption, Botswana’s Ross Branch made history this year by becoming the first African to win the World Rally-Raid Championship Published
In the aftermath of his historic 200m gold medal at the Olympics, sprinter Letsile Tebogo was full of encouragement for his fellow Botswanans in the world of sport.
Among them was motorcyclist Ross Branch, who was on the brink of becoming the first African to win the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) in October.
"Letsile was on the phone with me the week before saying ‘We can do it. We are Botswana and we stand together’," Branch told BBC Sport Africa.
"I was leading the championship, so there was a lot of talk, and everybody wanted me to follow up what he did. With his gold medal came a lot of pressure but it was good pressure.
"We have such a small country and there is a small community of athletes in Botswana so we all stand together."
Branch held his nerve in the last of five events on the W2RC circuit, held in Morocco, to secure the championship and make his own piece of history.The 38-year-old’s success was more than three decades in the making as he began honing his skills in Jwaneng from the age of four."It’s been a tough journey – 34 years of racing and lots of ups and downs," he said."Motorsport is a cruel sport as well as the best sport in the world. When you have your lows, it’s hard to get over it. I had a […]
Continue reading the original article at: www.bbc.com