Letsile Tebogo

Letsile Tebogo Career

Despite his young age, Letsile Tebogo has already established himself as one of the best sprinters of all time. He sealed his legacy when he ran 19.46 seconds in the 200-meter at the Paris Olympic Games, taking home gold and moving up to fifth all-time in the event.

Tebogo was born in the village of Kanye, Botswana. He established himself as one of the top up-and-coming sprinters as a junior when he won the 100-meter and finished second in the 200-meter at the 2021 and 2022 World U20 Championships.

His 100-meter time of 9.91 seconds in 2022 remains the current U20 World Record. He set the previous record of 9.94 seconds the month before at his debut at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

In 2022, at the age of 19, he became the youngest African Champion in the 200.

Letsile Tebogo becomes Olympic Champion

In 2024, most of the media cycle surrounding the short sprints focused on the outspoken Noah Lyles, who had declared his intent to try to become the first short sprinter to win the “triple” since Usain Bolt. The triple refers to victories in the 100, 200, and 4 x 100-meter relay. Lyles also expressed wanting to become the first sprinter to win the “quadruple,” adding the 4 x 400-meter to the list.

Lyles already took a narrow victory over Kishane Thompson in the 100, but Tebogo would play spoiler in the 200. Although American Kenneth Bednarek got off to an early lead, Tebogo gained the lead by the middle of the homestretch.

Tebogo’s stellar time of 19.46 seconds would edge out Kenneth Bednarek’s time of 19.62 seconds and Lyles’ time of 19.70 seconds. He would also anchor Botswana to a silver medal in the 4 x 400-meter relay, only behind the United States.

Tebogo became the first-ever Olympic Gold medalist for Botswana. The victory led to August 9 being declared a national holiday to celebrate.

His historic achievement also led to him being named the best male athlete of Paris 2024 by the Association of National Olympic Committees. In December 2024, he was named World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year.

Tebogo was disqualified from the 100-meter final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Usain Bolt Comparisons

Tebogo’s time of 19.46 seconds in the 200 ranks him fifth all-time only behind Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Noah Lyles, and Michael Johnson. He ran this time shortly after his 21^st birthday, causing many people to speculate that he could challenge Usain Bolt’s record of 19.19 seconds set at the 2009 World Championships.

When Tebogo broke the U20 World Record in 2022, his early celebration at the line also caused some people to draw parallels between him and Usain Bolt.

Bolt’s 200 record is often seen as more vulnerable than his 100 record. He ran his record time in the 200 into a slight headwind of -0.3m/s. Noah Lyles, Erriyon Knighton, and Tebogo have all run within 0.30 seconds of the record since 2022.

In contrast, the only legitimate challenger for the 100 World Record, also set in 2009, was Yohan Blake when he ran 9.69 seconds in 2012. It’s been ten years since anybody has run faster than Justin Gatlin’s time of 9.74 seconds.  

Personal Life and Other Facts

As a kid, Tebogo played football (soccer) before switching to athletics full-time.

In May 2024, Tebogo’s mother, Elizabeth Seratiwa, passed away after battling a short illness.

His mother’s illness and death would put Tebogo’s Olympic season in jeopardy, requiring him to travel to see his mother whenever possible and causing a great deal of mental stress after she passed.

In an interview with World Athletics, Tebogo said about his mom, “The first few days or few weeks after my mum died were super-difficult for me because I thought it was the end of the world, the end of my career, the end of everything I have tried to accomplish.”

Before the 2024 Olympic final, Tebogo listened to traditional songs he learned growing up in his village of Kanye to help himself relax.

After his victory, he hung his orange cleats around his neck and showed his right shoe to a camera to reveal a tribute to his mother.

Tebogo received two houses from his country’s government after the Olympics. In his speech, President Mokgweetsi Masisi would say, “I implore you to shower him and other participants with any kind of gifts that you may have.”

In an interview with BBC Sport Africa, Tebogo said, “Without sport, I [would] probably be a criminal by now …  In the neighbourhood that I was growing up in, there were a lot of criminals. We thought that was the only way to survive.”

FAQS

Where Does Letsile Tebogo Train?

In a 2022 CNN article, it was revealed that Tebogo was planning on starting training at the University of Oregon in March of that year, his first time training outside of his home country. In a 2024 article, it was revealed that he trains annually in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

How Old is Letsile Tebogo?

Letsile Tebogo was born on June 7, 2003. He’ll turn 22 in June 2025.

Where is Letsile Tebogo from?

Letsile Tebogo was born in the village of Kanye, less than 100 kilometers south-west of the capital Gaborone.