Botswana's athletics fraternity paid final tribute to Gaone Leaname Maotoanong, the sprinter affectionately known as Lux, at a memorial service held on Wednesday in Gaborone. Teammates, officials and coaches remembered a man whose service to his country went well beyond the medals he won.
According to The Business Weekly & Review, which reported the memorial, the tributes returned again and again to one theme: Maotoanong's character mattered as much as his record. In an era when public life too often rewards noise over substance, his peers recalled a man who built friendships, kept his word and represented Botswana with quiet pride.
A career of national service on the track
The record speaks for itself. Maotoanong was part of the generation that proved a small nation can stand on the podium against the world's best. He won gold in the men's 4x400m relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia, and helped Botswana take relay gold at the 2016 African Championships in Durban and the 2014 African Championships in Marrakech.
He competed at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where he ran the anchor leg for the men's 4x400m relay team that narrowly missed a podium finish, as Sunday Standard recalled. He also ran at the 2015 and 2019 World Athletics Championships, the 2015 and 2017 World Relays, and the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea, where he took silver in the 400m. Botswana's relay team added silver at the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville.
Those results were not handed to him. They were earned through years of discipline, and they belong to Botswana as much as to the man himself.
Teammates remember the man behind the medals
Gerald Bashingi, a former teammate at BDF Athletics Club, described Maotoanong as a bubbly personality who was always ready with a joke, and said he represented both his club and his country with dedication.
Botswana Athletics Association vice-president for administration Oabona Theetso said Maotoanong lived up to his name, Leaname, through the laughter he brought to others.
He lived up to his name. He spread laughter and jokes to his teammates and all those he lived with.
Theetso described the death as a significant loss to Botswana athletics, and pointed to Maotoanong's belief in clean sport at a time when doping remains a concern. He recalled that the athlete regularly carried his own water and served the sport through athlete representation and respect for its rules.
That detail deserves emphasis. In elite sport, integrity is a personal choice before it is a rule. Maotoanong made that choice, and his peers noticed.
Service beyond personal performance
Maotoanong did not stop at running. He served on the Botswana National Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission from 2022 to 2025, contributing to discussions on athletes' interests and welfare. His commitment extended to the administration and development of the sport, a form of service that outlasts any single race.
Coach Justice Dipeba, who sent a message from the United States, where he lives, said Maotoanong's legacy was inseparable from the personal growth he witnessed during their years together.
I'm not only his coach, but someone who had the privilege of seeing him develop as an athlete and a person.
Dipeba recalled travelling with Maotoanong, celebrating victories and standing alongside him when medals proved elusive.
Lux grew up next to me. He was very funny, jolly and interesting. He was also very loving to his teammates.
He remembered how Maotoanong welcomed teammates flying for the first time with a prank, telling them he had already paid for their food so they could eat freely. It was ordinary mischief that turned team trips into lasting memories.
He did well for this country and is one of the generation that proved this country has potential, as small as it is.
Friendship that outlasted competition
For training partner Isaac Makwala, the loss is personal. The two met in 2013, and their friendship deepened as Maotoanong moved from the 100m and 200m to train alongside Makwala in the longer sprint disciplines. Maotoanong joined the senior national team in 2014, and the pair later shared rooms on international trips and ran relay legs together.
Since we met, we have been friends. We ran the same race, and we started training together.
Makwala described him as a kind athlete who treated others well and knew how to motivate his teammates.
Middle-distance runner Nigel Amos offered a lighter memory. Maotoanong persuaded him to buy Nivea shower gel by insisting it was body lotion, a prank Amos recalled with affection after coming from the village.
Thuto Molebatsi, speaking for the Botswana National Sports Commission, remembered a humble man who avoided quarrels. Even when financial disagreements arose, Maotoanong refused to let them define his relationships and offered advice where he could. That is a lesson in personal responsibility worth repeating: he chose character over grievance.
An official farewell from the athletics family
In its condolence message, the Botswana Athletics Association described Maotoanong as a distinguished athlete who represented the country on numerous international stages and contributed to the growth and success of athletics. The association said his dedication, talent and commitment to excellence had earned him admiration from teammates, officials, competitors and fans, and it extended condolences to his family, friends and teammates.
As Botswana Youth Magazine noted, his passing has left a profound sense of loss among those who knew him, while his legacy continues to prompt reflection on the values that make sport a force for unity and national pride.
Maotoanong leaves behind a record of international achievement and something rarer: a reputation for loyalty, service and laughter. Botswana's athletics community now carries both forward.
Frequently asked questions
What were Gaone 'Lux' Maotoanong's biggest achievements?
He won 4x400m relay gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, relay gold at the 2016 African Championships in Durban and the 2014 African Championships in Marrakech, and 400m silver at the 2015 World University Games in Gwangju.
Did Maotoanong compete at the Olympics?
Yes. He ran at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where he anchored the men's 4x400m relay team that narrowly missed a podium finish.
What role did he play off the track?
He served on the Botswana National Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission from 2022 to 2025, working on athletes' interests and welfare.