Tebogo after the race dedicated his Olympic gold to his mother, Seratiwa, who died in May after a brief illness
By Kehinde Okeowo
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo produced a shock at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Thursday night, winning gold in the 200m final and beating pre-event favourite, America’s Noah Lyles.
With the feat, the 21-year-old becomes the first African to win 200m Olympic gold and denied Lyles a sprint double at the competition.
Tebogo in addition to winning the event, also finished the race, setting a new African record of 19.46 seconds.
American Kenneth Bednarek came second, crossing the line in 19.62 seconds.
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Lyles, who became the world’s fastest man by five-thousandths of a second in the 100m final on Sunday night, matched his Tokyo bronze in 19.70 seconds to claim the bronze.
After winning the race, Tebogo dedicated his Olympic gold to his mother, Seratiwa, who died in May of this year after a brief illness.
He also held up his spikes, displaying her date of birth, to the camera following his victory.
He said, “It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field.
“To take her [with me], it gives me a lot of motivation. She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy.”
Meanwhile, TheNiche later learnt after the race that Lyles, who went off the track in a wheelchair had tested positive for COVID-19.
