Botswana’s rising star, Letsile Tebogo, claimed the 200m gold at Paris 2024 with an African record-breaking time of 19.46 seconds, surpassing pre-race favorite Noah Lyles.
In front of an electrified Stade de France crowd on Thursday, August 8th, Tebogo’s stunning performance denied Lyles the coveted sprint double. Lyles, who had secured the Olympic 100m title earlier, finished third with a time of 19.70 seconds, behind fellow American Kenneth Bednarek, who took silver in 19.62 seconds.
After the race, Lyles revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be assisted off the track in a wheelchair, adding to the dramatic events of the evening.
Tebogo dedicated Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold to his late mother, Elizabeth Seratiwa, who passed away last May. Displaying his spikes with her date of birth and the initials of her name painted on his fingernails, he honored her memory. “I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet,” an emotional Tebogo shared. “Because she believed in me and I had so much doubt for myself.”
