31 May 2025
The history-maker from Botswana, who competed in last week’s Diamond League in Rabat, reflects on the wider significance of his achievements on the track — and how he is inspiring a new generation of athletes from Africa.
Letsile Tebogo is used to making history. His first real taste came in 2022 as he became Botswana’s 100m national record holder at age 18 with a run of 10.08 seconds. He followed it up with his nation’s first-ever sub-10-second run of 9.96 seconds just a few weeks later, which also made him the under-20 world record holder.
However, Tebogo wasn’t done yet with his history-making exploits. Not by a long shot. After winning silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the young sprint sensation shattered all expectations by claiming gold in the Paris 2024 200m final, making him the first athlete from Botswana to top the podium at the Olympic Games. While these achievements must be immensely gratifying on a personal level, it is the wider significance of his victories that has given the greatest satisfaction to arguably Africa’s greatest-ever sprinter.
“That’s always been my goal, to snap their dominance,” Tebogo said in a recent interview with Al Jazeera, when asked how it felt to break the Jamaican and American hold on sprinting medals at the Olympics.
“It was sad to see only two nations rule the sport for decades. I wanted to make a breakthrough for African athletes. I aspired to be the one to make it happen and then take in the world’s response. And that reaction has been heartwarming.”
Letsile Tebogo: ‘I dream of an all-African lineup at the Olympics one day”
Since 1984 until Paris 2024, US or Jamaican athletes had won eight of the 10 Olympic 200m golds on offer, with the cycle of victories only broken by Canada’s Andre De Grasse at Tokyo 2020 and Greece’s Konstantinos Kenteris at Sydney 2000.
No African runner had ever stood atop the Olympic 200m podium, with the silvers of Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996 the only half-lap medals athletes from the continent had claimed in the history of the Games.
However, Tebogo’s victory put an end to that run and, with it, changed the face of sprinting for a continent.
It has also allowed Tebogo to dream of a time when African sprinting success becomes the norm, rather than an anomaly.
“Africans are stepping up and we see an increased number of African athletes in global competitions,” he explained.
“I dream of an all-African lineup at the Olympics one day.”
In Tebogo’s mind, this transformation in African sprinting isn’t just a case of success breeding success. The changes he is seeing back home in Botswana show a difference in mindset among the young athletes coming through, who now have a visible example of one of their own who has made it to the very top against the odds of history.
“It’s still early days but I’ve definitely seen athletes shed a layer of self-doubt,” he continued.
“They are no longer afraid of coming forward to showcase their talent.”
Letsile Tebogo: How I executed my perfect race
The Botswana sprinter explained how he became the first African to win the men’s Olympic 200 metres title: ‘I knew that if I could achieve perfection today and avoid stumbling out of the blocks, I could match Kenny (Bednarek).’
How Letsile Tebogo proved there are no boundaries to stop you winning gold
Not only has Tebogo succeeded in ways no other athlete from his nation has done before, but he has also done it while training for competitions at home. While many others take the route of joining training camps in the USA or Jamaica, Tebogo feels the support and attention he receives in Botswana have helped him reach his goals without having to uproot his life to another country.
As he told Olympics.com last November, “It’s different in every country. When you get to my country, they understand, they know and they feel when to just let me be. Then in other countries, they want to ‘cringe’ or get that piece of you from everything you do. So it’s different in all countries.”
“All I can say is that Botswana will take care of a gem perfectly, more than the US can,” he continued. “Because I believe the US has got too many athletes.
So even if there’s a Letsile today, tomorrow there will be the next one. In Botswana, you can’t find the next Letsile, so that’s how I’ve concluded it.”
While Tebogo’s unique achievements have made him a superstar back home, there’s little doubt that his greatest joy comes from the new position he finds himself in as a trailblazer. He has opened doors to a new generation who have witnessed the blueprint of success and can see the proof that no geographical boundary can stop you from claiming Olympic gold.
“What I’m most excited about, though, is the impact I have made on aspiring athletes,” he said.
“I have proved that by staying on the right track and working hard, it is possible to achieve your dreams no matter which part of the world you’re from. Wherever you are, whatever you have, just make sure you put in enough effort and dedication.”
Source: https://rb.gy/kl5lx6
