Paris 2024: Letsile Tebogo delivers Olympic glory for Africa and late mother

Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo was the toast of Africa after winning the Olympic 200-meter gold on Thursday. But his immediate thoughts were much closer to home as he dedicated his victory to his mother, who died in May.

Tebogo, 20, became the first African to win the event when he ran 19.46 seconds to beat American duo Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles. That made Tebogo claim Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal, and become the fifth-fastest man in history over the half-lap. Noah Lyles later announced that his Olympics were over due to his illness.

Lyles keeps to his showman best

Lyles made his entrance to a huge excitement, seemingly ready to seize his moment with eyes of the world fixed upon him, but he remained third throughout following a slow start.

Bednarek held out to equal his silver of three years ago in Tokyo, a medal he also won at the 2022 World Championships – but could not overhaul Tebogo, who sprinted clear to win Botswana’s first ever Olympic gold medal.

Tebogo finishes in emotional triumph

Tebogo dedicated Olympic gold to his mother Seratiwa, who died in May of this year after a brief illness, and held up his spikes, displaying her date of birth, to the camera following his victory.

“It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take,” Tebego told 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.

“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.”

A milestone for Africa

It was a historic day for Africa, with the continent having four athletes in the final for the first time, after also providing two in the 100-meter final, where Tebogo came sixth and South Africa’s Akani Simbine was fourth.

Asked if his breakthrough performance could help him follow in the footsteps of Usain Bolt as the sport’s biggest name, he quietly shook his head.

“I can’t be the face of athletics as I’m not a loud or arrogant person like Noah,” he said.

Noah Lyles was a hot topic in the postrace news conference, from which he was absent, after U.S. officials revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, two days after winning 100-meter gold.

He wore a face mask in the call room before the race and though Tebogo wondered why, he said he did not want to make assumptions.

Bednarek, who repeated his silver from Tokyo, was also asked about the COVID-19 situation.

“I don’t think I was put at risk,” he said.

“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.”

The bumper rewards that awaits Letsile Tebogo

The sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo is set to pocket over Ksh16 million from his Paris Olympics win in the 200m final.

Botswanan gold medalists in Paris will be rewarded P1 million (Ksh9,538,990), silver attracting P500,000 (Ksh4,769,495) while bronze medallists take home P250,000 (2,384,747). Finalists will also get a reward of P25,000 (Ksh238,474) cash prize.

That is much more than what World Athletics has set aside for Olympic champions in track and field at the 2024 Games.

The global athletics governing body will reward only gold medallists in Paris, and each will take home $50,000 (Ksh6,475,000).

It means Tebogo is guaranteed a total purse of Total Ksh16,013,990 from his under 20 seconds job in the French capital, a life-changing amount for the 20-year-old.

It does not end there for Tebogo, as his government also vowed to reward all Olympics gold medallists with P2,500 (Ksh23,847) in monthly groceries for a year.

Tebogo will therefore receive groceries worth that amount until at least August 2025.

As an Olympics champion, Tebogo will also command a huge appearance fee in each of the races he features in from now. He also becomes a huge draw for sponsors, who will now be falling over themselves to leverage on his new-found status at a massive fee.