Tshepiso Masalela
Botswana athlete (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tshepiso Masalela (born 25 May 1999) is a middle-distance runner from Botswana. He is a multiple-time national champion in the 800 metres and 1500 metres. He was a finalist over 800 metres at the 2024 Olympic Games and 2025 World Championships.[1]
Masalela at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in the 800 metres final | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Botswana | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 May 1999 | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Events | 800m, 1500m | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | 800 m: 1:42.70 (Rabat 2025) 1500 m: 3:30.71 NR (Cape Town 2025) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Masalela is a native of Maun, Botswana.[2] At the 2022 African Championships he won his heat in the 800 metres in 1:48.69.[3] He followed this up by winning the bronze medal in the final.[4] In 2023, he lowered his 800 meters personal best to 1:45.24.[5] At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, he qualified for the finals of the 800m, placing 6th.[6]
In February 2024, Masalela set a national indoor record of 1:45.56 for the 800 metres in Metz.[7] He ran at the 2024 World Indoors Athletics Championships in Glasgow where he reached the semi-finals.[8] In April 2024 he came third in the 800 meters during the 2024 Diamond League Xiamen meeting and set a new PB of 1:43.88. He finished fourth in the 800 meters at the 2024 Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme in May [9] and third at the 2024 BAUHAUS-galan Diamond League event in Stockholm.[10]
He competed in the 800 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024, placing seventh in the final, and running a personal best time of 1:42.82.[11]
On 12 April 2025, he finished runner up over 800m to Kethobogile Haingura on the World Athletics Continental tour in Gaborone.[12] In May 2025, he won the 800 metres race at the 2025 Doha Diamond League, running an early world leading time of 1:43.11.[13] The following week, he lowered his early world leading time to win the 2025 Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat ahead of Max Burgin and Emmanuel Wanyonyi.[14][15] He placed fifth over 800 metres at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on 28 August.[16]
Masalela was a finalist at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2025 in the men's 800 metres, running 1:42.77 in the final, the first 800m race in history in which all eight competitors ran under 1:43.[17][18]
Competing indoors over 1500 metres for the first time on 22 February 2026 at the Copernicus Cup in Toruń, Masalela won in 3:32.55 ahead of Azeddine Habz by just 0.01 at the finish, setting a national indoor record.[19] However, Masalela was later disqualified giving Habz the victory, having been adjudged to have made an unsportsmanlike gesture as he crossed the finishing line.[20][21] In August, he was a finalist in the mile run at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Scotland.[22]
