Nijel Amos of Botswana celebrates after winning the men's 800m at Louis II Stadium during Herculis EBS IAAF Diamond League Meeting on July 12, 2019 in Monaco. (Photo by Marco Mantovani/Getty Images)
London 2012 and Nijel Amos was on top of the world. He’d run the race of his life, winning Botswana’s first ever Olympic medal in a world junior record time, second only to the great David Rudisha, who had set the current 800m world record on his way to gold for Kenya.
Just 12 years later things are looking vastly different for Amos. Fallen from grace after a positive dope test that resulted in a three-year ban, the now 30-year-old has moved back to his village of Marobela and even considered selling his Olympic medal to make ends meet.
But his blazing desire for success has not diminished and the middle-distance star is determined to find redemption at the end of this tough road he’s travelled.
Amos was just 18 years old when he won that Olympic silver in London. He then went on to beat Rudisha to claim Commonwealth Games gold in 2014 and although multiple injuries kept him from winning more major global medals, he was a regular victor on the Diamond League circuit.
By 2021 he ran a world-leading time of 1:42.91 in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics. There, disaster struck when he collided with American Isaiah Jewett in his semifinal and although he was allowed to run the final, Amos had injured his quad muscle in the fall and finished a distant eighth. Hopes were high he’d soon be back to his best, though.
But everything changed for Amos in July 2022 just as he was planning to head to the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, his training base at the time.
“The staff from the doping organisation arrived at my house as I was getting ready to leave for the games village to deliver the news. In retrospect, I’m glad I was spared the humiliation of having to leave the games village, but it was still devastating to hear,” said Amos, who has decided to open up about the trials of the last few years.
“It was the worst news I had ever received in my entire career, and I was at a loss for words about what, why, or even how something like this could have happened to me.
“I had put in so much work and effort in preparing for the World Championships which were held in Eugene — a place I called home — and being robbed of the opportunity to run in my ‘hometown’ was heartbreaking.”
Amos had tested positive for metabolites of GW1516, a prohibited substance that modifies how the body metabolises fat that was “originally synthesised and evaluated for the treatment of obesity, diabetes and other disorders caused by metabolic problems but is now not approved for human use”, according to the Athletics Integrity Unit.
The urine sample that tested positive was provided during an out-of-competition test on 4 June 2022 in Rabat, Morocco.
“After learning, I kept a close eye on everything I ate, did, and came into contact with, but I still don’t understand how the substance entered my sample. I even went so far as to test every supplement I took, and all of the results were negative. The most bizarre thing was that I was tested in Ostrava and the results were still negative. I then had testing in Rabat five days later, and the results were positive. The entire experience seemed so odd, and as I mentioned earlier, it still makes no sense.”
Amos eventually signed an admission of anti-doping rule violations to reduce his ban by a year, but remains adamant he did nothing wrong.
“The entire process was financially, emotionally and spiritually draining. I battled for nearly two years until my resources and energy ran out, leaving me with no other choice than to make the admission.”
Initially breaking the news to his family was the tough part for Amos.
“They know who I am and the principles I uphold, so having to explain how this happened was shocking and confusing to them. It was difficult for them to comprehend how something like this could have happened.
“Nevertheless, their love and support kept me going and they stood by me through that trying time, and for that, I am sincerely grateful,” he said.
Despite the disappointment, Amos set his mind on maintaining his training. He will be allowed to return to international competition on 11 July 2025 and has big plans.
“The goal is to stage the greatest comeback the world has ever witnessed and earn a spot in the September 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
“I always have to remind myself that I still have a lot to give and that my story isn’t over, even on the difficult days when it’s hard to find the drive to get up and show up. Watching the performance of the upcoming athletes also inspires me and motivates me to train even harder.”
As for whether he can return to the heights of 2012, when he ran a lifetime best of 1:41.73 for that Olympic silver, Amos remains confident.
“‘As a man thinketh so is he.’ I therefore do think I could run 1:41 once more. My current training indicates that I can and breaking into the sub-1:41 club would be an incredible dream come true. Who knows? Maybe I could even break the world record while I’m at it. I’ve changed a lot over the years; I’m now much more grounded, mature, and will approach situations very differently.”
For now though, Amos will need to watch his compatriots looking to add to the nation’s Olympic medal haul in Paris from a distance. Heading the charge is young sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo, who claimed silver and bronze at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
“If there is one thing Botswana does best it’s to unearth the greatest talents the world has ever seen and Letsile Tebogo is evidence of that,” he said.
“It started with Glody Dube, who was the first Motswana to run in the Olympics, then my era came and I brought the first individual Olympic medal and now in this generation, we have the world record-breaking athlete Letsile Tebogo. He is also inspiring the next generation of athletes to do so much more.”
While Amos is backing the Botswana team all the way, he’ll also be continuing his countdown to this time next year when he believes he’ll fulfil his ultimate destiny.
“A person’s name has great significance in my culture. I was named Nijel by my parents, which means champion, and that has manifested in a lot of different ways in my life,” he explained.
“I remain the greatest, I will always be a champion, and my name will leave an indelible mark on history for future generations.”