Letsile Tebogo makes history with Olympic 200m gold

Letsile Tebogo etched his name into sporting folklore on Thursday (8 August), becoming the first African to win the Olympic men’s 200m title.

The 21-year-old Botswanan sensation stormed to victory at the Stade de France, securing his country’s maiden Olympic gold medal in the process.

Tebogo’s winning time of 19.46 seconds shattered the African men’s 200m record, leaving American rivals Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles—the latter of whom had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week—trailing in his wake.

“I’m the Olympic champion; it’s something I have never seen in my life or dreamt of—it is an amazing moment,” said Tebogo, still in disbelief. “I just came here with the little that I had in me to push through because yesterday we made it to the final.”

The world number four revealed his tactical approach to the race: “I knew Kenny was going to run away so [I] made sure just to close him down. I have that top-end speed that will allow me to finish the race without getting tired,” Tebogo said.

“So that’s what I did, and when I saw Kenny fade, I knew Noah was far, far away behind us so that means I’m the Olympic champion.”

Tebogo’s triumph is a monumental achievement for Botswana, elevating the African nation onto the global sporting stage. His victory comes just days after he set his country’s national record of 9.86 seconds in the 100m final.

The historic win is expected to inspire a new generation of athletes in Botswana and across Africa.

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