On Thursday, August 8, Letsile Tebogo achieved a historic milestone for Botswana at the Paris 2024 Olympics by winning the nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in any sport. Tebogo clinched the 200m title with a record-setting African time of 19.46 seconds, moving him to fifth on the all-time world list.
Tebogo’s performance edged out the USA’s Kenny Bednarek, who secured silver with a time of 19.62, and 100m champion Noah Lyles, who took bronze with 19.70—the fastest ever third-place time in this event. Bednarek and Lyles repeated their medal placements from the Tokyo Games. US sprinter Erriyon Knighton, a two-time world medallist, finished fourth with 19.99 seconds, while the Dominican Republic’s Alexander Ogando came in fifth. Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba placed sixth and eighth, respectively, marking the first time Zimbabwe had two sprinters in an Olympic 200m final. They were separated by Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh, who finished seventh.
As the race began, Tebogo, positioned in lane seven, surged ahead of his American competitors. His victory was marked by a triumphant gesture as he celebrated crossing the finish line, draped in his national flag and holding up one of his spikes—a tribute to his late mother, Seratiwa.
Tebogo dedicated his win to his mother, who passed away in May. “It’s like carrying her with me every stride,” he said. The gold medal also marked a personal best for Tebogo, surpassing his previous African record.
Runner-up Bednarek expressed motivation for future competitions, highlighting his improved health and anticipation for the World Championships next year. Meanwhile, Lyles, who had tested positive for Covid-19 earlier in the week, described his struggle to compete despite the illness.
Tebogo’s victory ends a 200m win streak by Lyles, who had not lost a race in the event since August 2021. The new Olympic champion succeeded Canada’s Andre De Grasse, who was eliminated in the semifinals due to a hamstring injury. Tebogo, who had previously won silver and bronze at the World Championships in Budapest last year, adds this Olympic gold to his impressive collection of international medals.
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