"This is not my true potential"- Letsile Tebogo gets real about losing to Noah Lyles in a close finish at Zurich Diamond League finals

Letsile Tebogo opened up about his performance after losing to Noah Lyles at the Diamond League Final in Zurich. The athlete from Botswana finished second in the men's 200m after a tough race that ended in a photo finish, with Noah Lyles ultimately winning the title with a performance of 19.74s.

Lyles had returned to the track after facing a tough loss in the Lausanne Diamond League to Oblique Seville. On the other hand, Tebogo competed in his first track event after a brief hiatus since his seventh-place finish at the London Diamond League. Tebogo registered a strong start and asserted his dominance at the beginning of the final stretch; however, Lyles, who was trailing behind in the final stretch, managed to chase Tebogo and surpass him by a small margin at the finish line.

Letsile Tebogo spoke about his performance in a post-race interview and shared that he could not put forward his best foot forward. The 22-year-old expressed that he had the ability to push even further; however, he will be taking this setback as a motivation to prepare for his upcoming race at the World Championships in September.

"This is not my true potential right now. I feel there is still a lot more in the tank that people need to see. I take this as a big motivation for my training, and from tomorrow, until the last day of the 200m final, I have to give it all my best. I have to give all out. I have been preparing for this race for so long, only to lose it at the last finish. This is the strong part of me - you have to let do the legs do the talking. Because the more you are talk and you cannot prove it, it means you only talk, you do not prove yourself," he said.

Tebogo exuded confidence to win the 100m as well as the 200m title in Tokyo.

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Letsile Tebogo on facing a setback in the outdoor season

Letsile Tebogo at the 2025 Diamond League - Herculis EBS: Previews - Source: Getty

Letsile Tebogo expressed his thoughts after facing a major setback at the Rabat Diamond League. The Olympic gold medalist finished ninth in the men's 100m with a performance of 10.43s and shared that it was not the performance that he was hoping for.

Moreover, Tebogo shared that he was dealing with a recurring injury and hoped to make a recovery and return to the track as soon as possible.

"Today’s performance wasn’t what I had hoped for. I’m currently dealing with a recurring injury, which hasn’t been easy. However, I’m channeling this disappointment and pain into resolve. I’m already focused on recovery and growth, and I know I will come back a stronger man. See y’all soon❤️‍🩹" he wrote.

Tebogo shared that he will channel his pain into resolution and use it as a motivation to train harder.