Letsile Tebogo will become the first athlete with a disability to participate at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He was the first African to win an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m event. He got a lot of people talking with his performance from behind the Men’s 200m Final to take the top spot on the podium. That remarkable accomplishment earned Botswana its first Olympic gold medal as well. Tebogo achieved a blazing winning time of 19.46 seconds. He led a strong American field that included reigning 100m gold medalist and world champion, Noah Lyles.
As the final unfolded under the bright lights of Paris, Tebogo’s athletic prowess truly shone, winning gold and solidifying his status as a world-class sprinter. This historic victory shot his nation’s prominence in athletics up to stratospheric levels. It brought to the fore the talent of the fast-rising African sprinters on the world stage. His victory is already a historic landmark. It shows the enormous promise of African athletes in events historically dominated by other parts of the world.
Tebogo opened his bid for Olympic glory in style at the Doha Diamond League. There at Hayward Field, he blazed to a blistering sub-20 number of 20.10 seconds. His scintillating performance on that competitive stage foreshadowed the coming meteoric rise of this young superstar through the athletics ranks. Then in 2024, he really put a stamp on his reputation. In 2023, he was awarded the World Athletics Athlete of the Year, cementing his amazing accomplishments in a relatively short period of time.
Tebogo grew up dreaming of being a footballer, when he would play on the left-wing. His teachers pushed him towards athletics, a choice that has propelled him to success like never before. In the intervening years, he has become a symbol of hope and inspiration for aspiring athletes all over Botswana, and indeed the world.
Beyond his own immediate impact, Tebogo dreams of a day when African athletes rule the podiums in international events. He said then that his dream is to see an all-African lineup at the Olympics. This notion is fueled by his belief that after African nations started investing in their athletes’ development, far beyond only distance running. His viewpoint reflects half the story on a big movement in the opposite direction—back toward better sprinting. He says African athletes are answering the call and excelling at this new frontier.
Tebogo’s historic win was a personal triumph, of course, but it has come to represent hope for many. It serves as a reminder of the wealth of emerging talent in African athletics and the need to support and invest in young athletes. As he continues to inspire future generations, Letsile Tebogo remains committed to pushing boundaries and breaking records on behalf of Botswana and Africa as a whole.
