Letsile Tebogo made history for Botswana at the Paris 2024 Games on Thursday (8 August), securing his nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medal with a remarkable victory in the 200m.
In a stunning performance, Tebogo outpaced USA’s Kenny Bednarek and 100m champion Noah Lyles, setting a new African record of 19.46 seconds. This time not only earned the 21-year-old his maiden Olympic title but also propelled him to fifth place on the world all-time list.
Bednarek took silver with a time of 19.62 seconds, while Lyles claimed bronze in 19.70 seconds—the fastest time ever recorded for third place in any race—repeating their podium finishes from Tokyo 2020.
American sprinter Erriyon Knighton, a two-time world medallist, finished just outside the medals in fourth place with a time of 19.99 seconds. Alexander Ogando from the Dominican Republic came in fifth, with Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba finishing sixth and eighth respectively. Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh placed seventh, making this the first occasion Zimbabwe has had two sprinters in an Olympic 200m final.
Tebogo appeared composed as he took to the track, while Bednarek roused the crowd and Lyles enthusiastically bounced out, full of energy. Positioned in lane seven, Tebogo found himself flanked by Bednarek to his right and Knighton and Lyles to his left. As the athletes powered out of the blocks and rounded the curve, Tebogo edged ahead of his American competitors, eventually pulling away and even taking a moment to celebrate as he approached the finish line, glancing up at the screen and thumping his chest.
After the race, draped in his national flag, Tebogo removed one of his spikes and held it aloft for the cameras. He dedicated his victory to his late mother Seratiwa, who passed away in May, with her date of birth inscribed on the shoe as a tribute.
Tebogo’s time was a personal best, shaving 0.04 seconds off his previous African record set in London last year.
“It means a lot to the African continent because now they see Africa as a sprinting home,” he said. “So, we just had to make sure that the message is loud and clear.”
While satisfied with his silver medal, Bednarek is already looking forward to the future. “I’m finally healthy this year, and I can build on this performance,” he said. “With the World Championships next year, I’m going to be a serious contender. Expect big things from me over the next four years.”
Four days after his 100m triumph in Paris, Lyles was unable to fully celebrate his second medal, as he had to be helped off the track in a wheelchair. He later revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Lyles, a six-time world champion, entered Paris 2024 with an unbeaten streak in the 200m dating back to the Eugene Diamond League in August 2021, his first race after the Tokyo Games. Although he won his heat in Paris, Tebogo ended his 26-race winning streak by defeating him in the semi-finals.
Tebogo then repeated the feat in the final, becoming the first African man to win the Olympic 200m title and securing Botswana’s third-ever Olympic medal—their first gold.
Tebogo succeeds Canada’s Andre De Grasse as the Olympic champion, after De Grasse’s title defence ended in the semi-finals due to a hamstring issue, which he aggravated during the heats.
Having finished sixth in the 100m final, Tebogo now adds Olympic gold to the two world medals he won in Budapest last year—silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m. These achievements build on the four medals he earned at the World U20 Championships, where he claimed 100m gold and 200m silver in both 2021 and 2022.