Paris Olympics: Who is 200m gold medal winner Letsile Tebogo?
Letsile Tebogo scripted history on Thursday (August 8) as the sprinter brought Botswana's first-ever Olympic gold medal. He claimed the men's 200m title at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Notably, Tebogo also became the first African to win an Olympic gold in this event. Notably, the Botswana sprinter steered clear of American duo Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles to taste glory. Let's decode his profile.
Tebogo scripts history
Tebago advanced to the final after topping Heat 3 with a time of 20.10sec. He produced an even better show in the semi-final and clocked 19.96. The ultimate race saw him cross the finishing line in 19.46. It was an intense final as second-placed Bednarek clocked 19.62sec while Lyles registered a time of 19.70.
Tebogo only behind Bolt, Johnson
Tebogo is now the third-fastest sprinter to complete a men's 200m Olympic race. He is now only behind USA's Michael Johnson (19.32 in 1996) and Jamaica's Usain Bolt (19.30 in 2008). Overall, he became the fifth-fastest man in his history to cross 200m. He is now also an African record holder as he went Namibia's Frankie Fredericks (19.68 in 1996) in this regard.
Here is what Tebogo said
The 21-year-old Tebogo was ecstatic. " I'm the Olympic champion, it's something I have never seen in my life or dreamt of — it is an amazing moment," he stated. "It means a lot for everybody, the country, the continent and my family." Notably, Tebogo is standing in his maiden Olympic campaign. Many are expecting him to get even better with experience.
National record in 100m
Tebogo missed out on a Olympic medal in the 100m event as he finished sixth in the final. Nevertheless, he clocked 9.86 seconds, which is now a national record. It was an intense final as all eight athletes crossed the finishing line in a heave. Tebogo was not too far behind gold medalist Noah Lyles, who clocked 9.79 seconds.
Here are his other accomplishments
In 2021, Tebogo became the first Botswana athlete to claim the 100m title at any World Championships level. He triumphed at the World Athletics U20 Championships (100m). In February 2022, Tebogo scripted a new national record in the 100m (10.08sec), only to break it two months later (9.96). Tebogo also boasts two World Championships medals - silver in 100m and bronze in 200m.
