Botswanan athlete disqualified for unsportsmanlike gesture after record-setting run

February 23, 2026

On Sunday at a World Athletics Indoor Tour meet in Toruń, Poland, Botswana’s Tshepiso Masalela produced one of the best 1,500m races of his career, only to see his result overturned.

Masalela threw down a strong final-lap surge to edge out France’s Azeddine Habz for the win, crossing the line in 3:32.55 and setting a new Botswanan national record. However, the 26-year-old only held the record for a few minutes before officials disqualified him for making an unsportsmanlike gesture toward Habz in the final few metres.

Officials ruled that the gun gesture violated Rule TR 7.1 (improper conduct) under World Athletics’ competition regulations. The rule addresses behaviour considered unsportsmanlike or inappropriate during competition. CANADIAN Running Magazine