"People weren't given the opportunity"- Letsile Tebogo makes his feelings known on Africa’s track and field future

200m Olympic champion, Letsile Tebogo, has shed light on the immense potential of African countries in track and field. This comes just a few hours before his races at the Rabat Diamond League.

He is slotted to run in the 100m and 200m events on Sunday, May 25, where the Botswanian will face a tough field featuring Christian Coleman and Kyree King, among others. Moreover, several top African athletes such as Ferdinand Omanyala, Erriyon Knighton, and Wayde Van Niekerk will also grace the field in these two events.

Speaking about the immense talent among African athletes, Tebogo shared that the athletes on this continent haven't received much support and opportunity over the years, remarking that there is a huge talent pool. He also emphasized Botswana's impressive performance at the World Relays despite his absence.

"I mean, it's not just the country, the whole African continent has true potential. It's just that over the years people were not given the opportunity. There's true potential in African countries, there are lot of young athletes that are there, people don't know. So, Botswana, obviously getting there, with us not being there at the World Relays, the team did well. It means now we believe we are going to see new faces on the track," he said via Wanda Diamond League.

During the conversation, Letsile Tebogo also said that the investors and brands must come to Africa much more. The 200m Olympic champ is coming after a 200m victory at the Doha Diamond League, after clocking a run time of 20.10 seconds.

Letsile Tebogo shared his thoughts on the 200m victory in Doha

Letsile Tebogo (Image via: Getty)

Lestile Tebogo expressed his emotions after bagging a 200m victory at the Doha Diamond League meet. He defeated several top athletes such as Courtney Lindsey, Joseph Fahnbulleh, and Aaron Brown during this race.

Speaking at a press conference after his victory, Tebogo said he didn't emphasize his run time during the race and only focused on winning.

"I did not care much about the time during the race. It was all about enjoying it. That was my main concern when I came here. My coach told me to stay healthy and enjoy it," he said (via Wanda Diamond League).

This was Letsile Tebogo's first Diamond League victory in this 2025 season after consecutive 100m defeats in Xiamen and Shanghai. He finished seventh in Xiamen and third in Shanghai in run times of 10.20 and 10.03 seconds, respectively.