"So I used to train without shoes in both football and athletics. I would wear a pair of old pants that one of my uncles used to wear back when he was in school. It was just a generational thing."

"I’m the Olympic champion."

"It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field."

"She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy."

"Great achievement looking at the Olympics, looking at the age, first Olympics, national record. Not everybody makes it to the final, I am grateful for what happened today."

"What I learned tonight is that, make sure you perfect everything according to the race and don't leave out anything."

"I think, for me, I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not arrogant or loud like Noah (Lyles). So, I believe Noah is the face of athletics."

"I'm really grateful for the team around me. They really pushed me through thick and thin."

"Once the governments are on board, it makes a massive difference to the sport."

"Records are meant to be broken."

"I still have to focus because this was just a start of what will happen in the next 10 years, looking at my age."

"This is my first title, and it feels crazy. I'm proud of our progress as a nation and as a continent."

"The semi-final showed me that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself. Today, I came out here to do just that. I’m forever grateful!"

"Without sport I believe I’d also be behind bars because that was the only way we knew of."

"We believed that football was the only way to survive."

"Running a new world record was not the plan, but it just came naturally."

"I was scared, I didn’t know what to expect. Nobody knew who Letsile was back in 2023."

"That transition was what I’d been dreaming of since I started athletics—that was the validation of the potential I didn’t see growing up."

"I felt like it was over for me—it was over for athletics. I just needed to hand in the boots. I didn’t have the confidence to go out there and do what I have to do."

"There’s a lot of pain that is inside that needs to go out, and the only way I can do that is through running."

"I’ll always carry her as an inspiration—it’s not every day that you get a supportive parent behind your back in every decision that you make. She was able to show us the right path."

"If I don’t stumble, I can win this race."

"That 19 seconds felt so peaceful."

"The moment you talk about the world record is the moment you mess up your training programme."

"Without sports in my life, I don’t even want to think where I would be."

"I’m happy sport came in because there are a lot of youngsters who I know now are behind bars. Those are the same people that I used to hang around with."

"The Olympic gold, it means a lot to the country, it means a lot to the African continent, because Africa is no longer known for the long-distance races."

"It’s a reminder that you carry more than just a flag when you compete abroad, you carry the dreams of the people you grew up with and the pride of your countrymen watching you at home."

"The value that shaped me is Botho."

"Botho means never to undermine anyone, just do your thing and learn how to congratulate others if they've done better than you on the day."

"The children that I inspire across the world, sometimes are less privileged and cannot do sports because of their situations."

"I’m just an ordinary person."

"I have started light training with the advice of my coach. I feel no pain in the angle now but I will take it slowly as per the program."

"Obviously I want to compete in the Diamond League. It is the crème de la crème in athletics and having one Motswana (Montsho) competing there has given us hope. We have to work harder and stay disciplined to achieve it"

"The injury has affected my year activities as I missed on international competitions and representing my country. However, it’s part of the sport, I aim to come a better person and take off where I left."

"I wanted my father to witness my success, especially at the Olympics. He risked being expelled from the church and called names by some people who were against my pursuing of weightlifting."

"I wanted to dispel the myth that we as women cannot do what men can."

"My passion for swimming started at a very tender age. I used to swim at my mom’s workplace at the Grand Palm, and it was mainly for fun. But the love developed and I took it from there.I got an opportunity to go to the USA to study and do professional swimming by emailing a couple of Universities. So many University coaches wanted me to be in their respective teams. I got enrolled at Florida, and everything transitioned quickly as I was introduced to impressive training facilities, a coach, physical therapy and sports psychology which played a vital role in my performance as a swimmer."

"The atmosphere of the Olympics was out of this world. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It is an empowering experience and something I will forever cherish being surrounded by some of the best athletes in the world. I was very nervous for the entire time I was there though. It can be overwhelming and often you doubt yourself. But overall an amazing experience."

"Refrain from things that will ruin your career."

"To taste God’s air, the adrenaline rush on track, thousands of people all eyes on me, fans chanting a name not friendly to a foreign tongue, ‘It’s Amantle Moncho from Botswana!"

"Age has caught up, and only God knows how much my heart fills with excitement for every moment I represented Botswana and Africa at large"

"There is no Amantle Montsho without the people"

"It was always exciting to represent my country on the international stage. Imagine the adrenaline rush when I step on the track knowing that all eyes are on me. That made it extra special. I had fans from all over the world but the support back home was the best"

"Invest for the future and do not lose focus. In life you should know what you want then it will not be easy for someone to shift your focus."