Athletics-Botswana’s Tebogo becomes Africa’s first 200m champion

In Paris 2024, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo made history as the first African to claim the Olympic gold in the 200 metres, beating out American contenders Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles with a time of 19.46 seconds. This victory denied Lyles, the 100m champion, a sprint double, as Tebogo set a new African record. Despite Lyles testing positive for Covid after the race and requiring assistance from a wheelchair, Tebogo’s win marked a significant moment in his career and for Botswana, dedicating his gold medal to his late mother Seratiwa. The emotional athlete expressed his motivation in carrying her memory with him during his races, symbolized by her date of birth on his spikes.