Nijel Carlos Amilfitano Amos (born 15 March 1994) is a Motswana

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who competes in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

. He won silver at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

, which was Botswana's first ever Olympic medal.

Early life

Nijel Amos is from

Marobela Marobela is a village located in the Central District of Botswana. It had 1,672 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Settlements Marobela is divided into 3 settlements: *Mafongo Lands, 107 inhabitants *Matapdza, 18 inhabitants *Ntala, 109 inhabitant ...

village in the North Eastern part of Botswana. He went to Nyamambisi Primary School in

, Shangano Community Junior Secondary School (2007 to 2009) in Nshakashongwe and Tutume McConnell Community College (2010 to 2011).

Running career

Results

At the

2011 African Junior Athletics Championships The 2011 African Junior Athletics Championships were held at the University of Botswana Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana from 12 to 15 May. It was the tenth edition of the continental athletics (sport), athletics tournament for African athletes aged ...

, Amos ran a Botswana Junior Record time of 1:47.28. Further improving on his record, Amos finished fifth in the 800 metres at the

2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics The 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics were the seventh edition of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. They were held in Lille Métropole, France, with stadium-based events at Stadium Lille-Métropole in Villeneuve d'Ascq, on 6� ...

. In 2012 Amos improved his National Senior Record to 1:43.11 during a race in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...

. He became champion at the

2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born 1993 or later) which was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on 10–15 ...

, finishing in a new championship record of 1:43.79. In the

, Amos won a silver medal in the men's 800 m race, the first Olympic medal for his country. His time of 1:41.73 established a new World Junior Record behind the new World Record set by David Rudisha and is tied with

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...

for the third fastest individual ever. After an injury-filled 2013 season, Amos returned to form in 2014. At the 2014

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the Universi ...

, Amos set a meet record and world-leading time of 1:43.63. At the

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world re ...

IAAF Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

, he again set a meet record and world leading mark of 1:42.45. Beating Rudisha for the 2nd time on the season, his performance was the fastest 800m race since the men's 800 m 2012 Olympic final. At the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

, Amos won the 800 meter gold medal in 1:45.18. In the tactical affair, Amos maneuvered out of a box to pass World Record holder David Rudisha in the last 50 meters. At the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

, Amos competed in the 800 m and the 4x400 relay. He finished 7th in his heat for the 800 m and did not qualify for the semifinals. The Botswana 4 × 400 m relay team finished 5th in the finals. Amos was the flag bearer for Botswana during the

Parade of Nations The Olympic Games ceremonies of the Ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of these Games; the modern Olympic games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the Ancient Games from ...

. He finished 5th in the 800m at the

2017 World Athletics Championships Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

. Amos ran a 1:42.14 in the summer of 2018 at the Monaco Diamond League meet, taking first place. It was his best race in the 800 m since his silver medal effort in the 2012 Olympics. At 2019's Monaco Diamond League, Amos ran 1:41.89, hitting 600 m at 1:15.22. At the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

, Amos competed in the

800 m The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

, finishing first in his heat. In the semifinal he collided with

Isaiah Jewett Isaiah Champion Jewett (born February 6, 1997) is an Olympic American middle-distance runner who specialises in the 800m. Career On June 21, 2021, at the United States Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Oregon, he finished runner up with a personal ...

, resulting in them both falling to the ground. Amos was later reinstated into the final on appeal.

Doping Ban

On July 12, 2022, Amos was provisionally suspended from competition by the

Athletics Integrity Unit The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) was founded by the International Association of Athletics Federations in April 2017 to combat doping in the sport of athletics. The unit functions fully independently from the IAAF. It is currently led by head Br ...

after he tested positive for GW1516, a banned hormone and

metabolic Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

modulator that is not approved for use in humans.

References

External links