The 200-metre final at the 2024 Paris Olympics concluded with a time of 19.46 seconds, securing the first-ever gold medal for Botswana. This performance marked a pinnacle in the career of Letsile Tebogo, a sprinter whose trajectory from his birthplace in Kanye to global athletics dominance redefined his nation's presence in international track and field competition.
Early Career and Record Breaking
Tebogo gained international experience at the 2021 World Athletics Relays in Chorzów, Poland, when he was 17. Later that year, at the World Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, he claimed the 100-metre title. He made history in 2022 by becoming the first athlete from his country to break the 10-second barrier, clocking 9.96 seconds at the Gaborone International Meet. Throughout the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, he repeatedly improved his own records.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Ascension to Elite Competition
The sprinter's rise continued through the 2023 World Championships, where he earned a silver medal in the 100 metres and a bronze in the 200 metres. In February 2024, he set a 300-metre world best at altitude in Pretoria, South Africa, finishing in 30.69 seconds. His Olympic victory in Paris triggered national celebrations, including a government-declared holiday and the gift of two houses. Later that year, he was awarded the inaugural Jesse Owens Rising Star Award and named World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year.
Developments in 2025 and 2026
The 2025 season presented varied outcomes. Following a false start disqualification in the 100-metre final at the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, he finished fourth in the 200-metre event. In September 2025, he anchored the Botswana 4 × 400-metre relay team—composed of Collen Kebinatshipi, Bayapo Ndori, and Lee Eppie—to a victory with a time of 2:57.76. By 2026, he participated in the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, where the team set a competition record of 2:54.47.
Fast facts
- Born: 2003, Kanye, Botswana
- Primary event: 200 metres
- 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist
- 2024 World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year
- First Botswana athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m
- Languages spoken: English, Tswana
- 2025 Kids’ Athletics Day ambassador
Questions readers ask
What major award did he receive in December 2024?
He was named the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year.
Did he participate in the 2026 World Athletics Relays?
Yes, he ran the second leg of the 4 × 400 m relay in Gaborone.
Achievements
- Competed at 2023 World Athletics Championships – men's 100 metres, athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – men's 200 metres and athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – men's 100 metres
- Discipline: athletics
