Nijel Amos

Nijel Amos

Nijel Amos in London 2017

nation

Botswana

birthday

15th March 1994 (age 26)

place of birth

Marobela , Botswana

size

179 cm

Weight

62 kg

Career

discipline

400 m , 800 m

Best performance

44.99 s, 1: 41.73 min

Trainer

John Verster

status

active

Medal table

Olympic medals	0 ×	1 ×
Commonwealth Games	1 ×	0 ×
African Championships	4 ×	0 ×
Summer Universiade	1 ×	0 ×
U20 world championships	1 ×	0 ×

Olympic games
silver	London 2012	800 m
Commonwealth Games
gold	Glasgow 2014	800 m
African Championships
gold	Marrakech 2014	800 m
gold	Marrakech 2014	4 × 400 m
gold	Durban 2016	800 m
gold	Asaba 2018	800 m
Universiade
gold	Kazan 2013	800 m
Junior World Championships
gold	Barcelona 2012	800 m

last change: July 17th, 2019

Nijel Amos (born March 15, 1994 in Marobela ) is a Botswana middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800-meter run .

Athletic career

Nijel Amos gained his first international experience at the Junior African Championships 2011 in Gaborone , where he won the bronze medal over 800 meters. He then took part in the World Youth Championships in Lille , where he finished fifth in the final. In June 2012 he improved the Botswana record over 800 m with 1: 43.11 minutes in Mannheim . At the same time, it was the second fastest time ever run by a youth. At the Junior World Championships in Barcelona , Amos won gold over the same distance and set a new championship record of 1: 43.79 minutes. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London , Amos surprisingly won the silver medal behind Olympic champion and world record holder David Lekuta Rudisha . It was the first Olympic medal for his country Botswana. He set a new junior world record with 1: 41.73 minutes and at the age of 18 he was the youngest and only fifth runner ever to beat the time of 1:42 minutes.

At the Summer Universiade 2013 in Kazan , Amos won the 800 m run, and a year later he won gold over the same distance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow . He also won over 800 meters at the African Championships in Marrakech , as well as with the Botswana 4 x 400 meter relay. In 2015 he qualified for the World Championships in Beijing , where he was eliminated in the semifinals with 1: 47.96 min . He also appeared with the Botswana relay and set in advance a new national record of 2: 59.95 minutes, but not qualified for the final. At the end of the season he won the gold medal over 800 meters and the silver medal with the relay at the Africa Games in Brazzaville .

In 2016 he defended his title at the African Championships in Durban and qualified again for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro , where he surprisingly eliminated with 1: 50.96 minutes in the first round . In 2017 he took part in the World Championships in London, where he finished fifth in the 800 meter final in 1: 45.83 minutes. In addition, he retired with the Botswana 4 x 400 meter relay with 3: 06.50 min in advance . In 2018 Amos again took part in the Commonwealth Games in the Australian Gold Coast , where he finished eighth in the final in 1: 48.45 minutes.

In 2014 Amos became the Botswana champion in the 400-meter run. He won the IAAF Diamond Race in 2014, 2015 and 2017 . He is a graduate of Northwest University in Potchefstroom .