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Bigboy Matlapeng

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Bigboy Matlapeng
Personal information
NationalityBotswanan
Born (1958-02-04) 4 February 1958 (age 67)
Sport
SportLong-distance running
EventMarathon

Bigboy Josie Matlapeng (born 4 February 1958) is a Botswanan long-distance runner and sprinter. He competed in the marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Olympics.[1]

Career

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Matlapeng had a marathon personal best of 2:33:34 hours going into the 1984 Olympic marathon.[2] He was described sarcastically as a "household name" by commentators, mocking his unusual-sounding name in the "wonderfully monikered" field.[3][4][5] He started the Olympic marathon, but did not finish the race.[6]

By 1986, Matlapang had improved his marathon best to 2:17:47, setting a Botswanan record and making him a favorite to break the course record at the 1986 Churchdown 10-mile Beer Race in Gloucestershire.[7] Though he underperformed at the Beer Race, he was selected to represent Botswana at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in the marathon, where he placed 14th.[8][9] Surprisingly, Matlapeng moved down in distance by a factor of over 100 times to compete in the Botswanan 4 × 400 m relay team after the marathon, though his team was disqualified and didn't advance to the finals.[10] Matlapeng's performance in such disparate events led to debate about the seriousness of the Commonwealth Games.[11]

Matlapeng qualified for his first World Championships at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, where he competed in the marathon. He finished 29th in a time of 2:24:43 and was again lauded for his name.[12][13][14][15] At the 1988 Olympic Games marathon, Matlapeng finished 34th in 2:20:51. He competed again at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in the marathon, finishing 14th again.[13]

Matlapeng competed at the 1987 and 1989 editions of the World Marathon Cup, finishing 66th and 57th respectively.[16]

References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Bigboy Matlapeng Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Men's marathon roster". The Argonaut. 9 August 1984. p. 2. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  3. ^ "Lasting Men's marathon may close Games with historic finish". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 12 August 1984. p. 64. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  4. ^ "Sprint finish in the marathon? Could be". Detroit Free Press. 12 August 1984. p. 39. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. ^ "Lopes, 37, was frisky as a colt at end of 26.2-mile trot". Tampa Bay Times. 13 August 1984. p. 29. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  6. ^ Bigboy Matlapeng at Olympedia Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ "ATHLETICS: Bigboy Matlapeng". Western Daily Press. 19 July 1986. p. 33. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Games pair head for City race". The Citizen. 7 July 1986. p. 20. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Bigboy finds the going tough". Western Daily Press. 21 July 1986. p. 24. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  10. ^ "Botswana's Bigboy Matlapeng, having finished a creditable 14th in Friday morning's marathon..." Sunday Sun. 3 August 1986. p. 42. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  11. ^ "Games future in doubt". Horncastle Target. 7 August 1986. p. 34. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Meet Ends With Blazing U.S. Victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 7 September 1987. p. 23. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  13. ^ a b Bigboy Matlapeng at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  14. ^ "All the Hoopla Without the Hassles". Newsday. 8 September 1987. p. 95. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  15. ^ "A sports market plunge". The Atlanta Journal. 30 October 1987. p. 31. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  16. ^ Bigboy Matlapeng at World Athletics Edit this at Wikidata
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