Letsile, hanging his spikes around his neck told African journalists in the mixed zone that the gold medal was a bonus rather than a dream come true as Paris was about him experiencing the Olympics
On the eighth night of the athletics program in Paris, Botswana's sprinting prodigy, Letsile Tebogo, shocked the pre-race favorite, Noah Lyles, and the rest of the field by claiming the 200m Olympic gold medal.
The 21-year-old executed the curve flawlessly, crossing the finish line in 19.46 seconds—a new area record. This victory marked Botswana's first-ever Olympic gold medal and the continent's first in the 200m. It was a decisive win, with no need for a photo finish.
“It means a lot to me, it makes a lot to Africa, it means a lot to everybody who has rallied behind me and for the team that was behind me when we heard about our mum’s passing – I am grateful to them because personally I thought my career was over but the team made sure each and every day, that I come here with a healthier body and healthier mind.”
Letsile, hanging his spikes around his neck told African journalists in the mixed zone that the gold medal was a bonus rather than a dream come true as Paris was about him experiencing the Olympic Games rather than winning.
“For me it is not a dream come true, first of all because, I just came here to see how I could finish the Olympics, we just wanted the experience the medal is a bonus because it is something that we both didn’t see from the start of day of our training sessions,” Tebogo said.
“In all my interviews you realized I never mentioned any medal because I did not want to put any pressure on myself. I had to step up just to ensure everything is into perfection, from the curve until the finish.”
Even though the gold medal is a bonus, Letsile stepped up on the track to finish the business early. Stone cold face, as he crossed the line he pointed his finger in the sky. He removed his spikes and pointed at the inscription which we later established it was “E.S.T 23-12-1980” – the date his late mum was born. His mum passed away in May this year.
“It feels amazing but it would be more amazing if she was somewhere in the stands, I believe the family members who were sent here are a representation of her.”
“What I went through – I would say a medal is a bonus for everybody. I was pointing at Olympics in 2028, that is when I would personally really show the world that we could make it.
Lestile, two-time medalist from the world championships describes how he executed the race perfectly.
“Normally after the bend I see Noah on my left but I didn’t see him, I just saw Kenny was moving, so I knew I had the strength and top end speed to finish up, so that is what I used for myself to win the race. The moment I was neck to neck with Kenny Bednarek, I knew he couldn’t hold my top end speed because I know and trust my top end speed.”
Despite slowing down at the finish, Letsile still clocked the fastest time in Africa in 200m which he says his coach had predicted.
“There was nothing else left for me, that is why I slowed down because there is till the 4x400m tomorrow ( today) and the day after, so you still need that energy and mindset going into 4x400,”.