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Meet Letsile Tebogo: Africa's new poster boy

Beatrice Laryea Sports News Aug - 20 - 2024 , 17:30

Botswana erupted in jubilation and rolled out the red carpet for its golden boy, Letsile Tebogo, with a hero's welcome fit for royalty as he returned triumphant from the Paris Olympics.

The 21-year-old sprint sensation shocked the world with a breathtaking performance in the men’s 200 metres, clinching Africa’s first-ever Olympic gold in the event — and Botswana’s first gold in any sport.

Now the continent’s new poster boy in sprinting, he stormed to victory in an African record of 19.46 seconds in front of a roaring Stade de France crowd, stealing the spotlight from pre-race favourite Noah Lyles. Not content with just one medal, Tebogo anchored his team to a brilliant silver in the men’s 4x400m relay, proving that his talent was not confined to individual glory.

Tebogo’s rise to the pinnacle of sprinting is nothing short of meteoric. His seeds of Olympic glory were sown two years ago when he set a world record of 9.91 seconds in the 100m at the World Athletics U-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.

The world took notice, and a year later, he proved his mettle by winning 100m silver at the World Championships in Budapest, becoming the first African to achieve such a feat.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: Letsile Tebogo
Date of birth: June 7, 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth: Kanye, Botswana
Height: 1.84 metres
Sport: Athletics (100m, 200m, 4x400m)

ACHIEVEMENTS
Personal bests:
100m: 9.86 seconds (Paris 2024)
200m: 19.46 seconds (Paris 2024)

HONOURS
Olympic Games:
Gold 200m 2024 Paris
Silver 4x400m 2024 Paris