Tebogo is pride of Africa wearing shoes for his mum
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo made history on Thursday by winning the Olympic 200 meters gold, becoming the first African to do so. Tebogo’s victory, with a time of 19.46 seconds, not only earned him Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal but also made him the fifth-fastest man ever in the 200 meters. He triumphed over Americans Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles, who was affected by COVID-19.
Despite the monumental achievement, Tebogo’s thoughts were with his mother, who passed away in May. He dedicated his victory to her, running in spikes that bore her date of birth. “It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take,” Tebogo shared with reporters. “Me, to take her, it gives me a lot of motivation. I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional.”
Tebogo reflected on the difficulty of coping with his loss, saying, “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. (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.”
The day was also significant for Africa, with four athletes reaching the final for the first time and two making it to the 100m final, where Tebogo placed sixth and South Africa’s Akani Simbine finished fourth.
When asked if his breakthrough might position him as the next big name in athletics like Usain Bolt, Tebogo humbly replied, “I can’t be the face of athletics as I’m not a loud or arrogant person like Noah.”
Lyles, who was absent from the post-race press conference, became a topic of discussion after U.S. officials disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, just two days after winning the 100 meters. Lyles had worn a face mask in the call room before the race, which Tebogo noticed but refrained from speculating on.
Bednarek, who secured silver once again after Tokyo, commented on the situation, saying, “I don’t think I was put at risk. When I found out, it wasn’t that big of a deal. He went out there and did his best while he was sick, and I hope he gets better.”
Both Tebogo and Bednarek were initially slated to run in Friday’s 4x100m relay final after the U.S. team qualified without them, but Bednarek mentioned that the plan might need to be reconsidered.
