Letsile Tebogo opened up about his journey from a village in Botswana to Olympic glory. The 22-year-old shared that he went through multiple struggles while growing up, and breaking into the highly competitive track circuit at such a young age was not easy for him.The Olympic gold medalist shared that his journey with sports started in his primary school, where he used to run long-distance races. His interest then shifted to soccer, which he would play regularly in his village. Letsile Tebogo spoke about the impact of sports in his life in the latest documentary series, 'Built for Speed: The Letsile Tebogo Story.'As he continued to play soccer regularly, Tebogo became more interested in sports and considered it to be a way to improve his life."It started with running first and then football. In my home village, where I stayed, there was a small field that we used to play every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and sometimes on a Thursday, and we'd finish up late. So, I became more interested. We believed that football was the only way to survive," he said.Moreover, Letsile Tebogo shared that he grew up in a dangerous neighborhood where crime was rampant, and a lot of youngsters with whom he was friends were behind bars. He expressed how being an athlete gave him a different perspective on life and prevented him from making wrong decisions."Without sports in my life, I don't even want to think where I'd be. The neighborhood I grew up in was very, very dangerous. I'm happy sport came in because there are a lot of youngsters who I know now are behind bars, and those are the same people I used to hang around with, and I believe I would be behind bars because that was the only way we knew of," he added.According to Tebogo, sports brought about a massive transformation in his life, and he hoped to spread the message of positivity among the youth with his relentless pursuits on the track.Letsile Tebogo opens up on inspiring the younger generationLetsile Tebog competes in Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 13 - Source: GettyLetsile Tebogo opened up about inspiring the upcoming generation of athletes in an interview at the Xiamen Diamond League. Tebogo shared how winning the Olympic gold medal paved the way for many opportunities for him, and he was elated to inspire the upcoming generation of athletes.Moreover, the 22-year-old expressed that he had embarked on a campaign to invite kids from his neighborhood to a sports course so that they are motivated to pursue greater things in life, as well as help their families.“The gold medal has helped me in many ways. It has opened doors that have been closed, and from my end, I am happy that I inspired a lot of kids, and right now we are on a campaign to take as many kids to get into a sporting course to help them get out of the neighbourhood that we grew up in," he said.Letsile Tebogo will be in action at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo later, which are slated to kick off on September 13, 2025.