Letsile Tebogo recently clinched the gold in the 200m dash at the Paris Olympics by defeating heavy favorite Noah Lyles. With the 2024 Summer Games concluded on August 11, the athlete is now prepared to compete in his next event at the Diamond League in Lausanne.
Tebogo stood atop the podium in the 200m event at the Paris Olympics, clocking an impressive 19.46s. He trounced the American sprinters Kenneth Bednarek and Noah Lyles, who secured second and third place with 19.62s and 19.70s, respectively. With this win, Tebogo became the first athlete to secure a gold medal for his nation, Botswana.
The athlete received a warm welcome from his fans and the army upon his triumph. Following this, the athlete is expected to compete in the upcoming men's 200m dash at the Lausanne Diamond League, slated for August 22, 2024, at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne.
Track & Field Gazette shared the 200m entries for the Lausanne Diamond League on X. The list featured notable names such as Tebogo, Fred Kerley, Erriyon Knighton, Jereem Richards, Joseph Fahnbulleh, Alexander Ogando, Timothe Mumenthaler, and William Reais.
Why did Letsile Tebogo hold up his shoe following his 200m win at the Paris Olympics
After a dominant victory in the 200m at the Paris Olympics, Letsile Tebogo held up and pointed towards his shoe in front of the camera. It carried his mother's birthdate, who passed away in May 2024 from an illness. The athlete revealed that her birthdate motivates him, and claimed that through this gesture, he 'carries her' with him on every step.
"It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take.. it gives me a lot of motivation. I took about a month without doing anything. It wasn’t really clicking for me that she’s really gone. For me, I have to find the reason why I started my athletics journey and why I should continue going on," Tebogo said (as quoted by "The Herald Sun").
He added:
"If she were here, I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet because she believed in me when I doubted myself," he added.
Following the 200m win, Letsile Tebogo received numerous rewards, which include a 4-bedroom house, gifted by the government and 1,000,000 Pula ($75,000) from a local company. Along with this, the 21-year-old also received $3,600 for reaching the finals of the 100m and 200m races.