Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo made history on Thursday when he became the first African to win Olympic gold in the 200 metres. 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 of all time in the 200 metres. He triumphed over Americans Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles, who was ill with COVID-19.
Despite this monumental achievement, Tebogo’s thoughts were with his mother, who passed away in May. He dedicated his win to her and ran in spikes bearing her birth date. “Basically, I wear her every step I take,” Tebogo told reporters. “Wearing her motivates me a lot. I didn’t want to mention the date of her death because I would get emotional.”
Reflecting on how difficult it was to deal with his loss, Tebogo said: “I didn’t do anything for about a month. It didn’t really click with me that she was really gone. I need to find the reason why I started my career in the sport and why I should continue. (If she was here) I think she would be one of the luckiest people in the world 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 finished sixth and South African Akani Simbine fourth.
When asked if his breakthrough could make him the next big name in athletics like Usain Bolt, Tebogo modestly replied: “I cannot be the face of athletics as I am not a loud or arrogant person like Noah.”
Lyles, who was absent from the post-race press conference, became the topic of conversation after U.S. authorities announced on Tuesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, just two days after winning the 100 meters. Lyles had been wearing a face mask in the pre-race phone room, something Tebogo noted but declined to speculate on.
Bednarek, who secured another silver medal after Tokyo, commented on the situation: “I don’t think I was put in danger. When I found out, it was no big deal. He went out and did his best while he was sick and I hope he gets better soon.”
Both Tebogo and Bednarek were originally scheduled to run in the 4×100-meter relay final on Friday after the U.S. team qualified without them, but Bednarek mentioned that the plan might need to be reconsidered.
