As Letsile Tebogo crossed the finish line as the new 200m Olympic champion at Paris 2024, he struck his chest in a triumphant gesture.
The rising star from Botswana blazed to victory in an African record time of 19.46 seconds, electrifying the Stade de France crowd on Thursday, August 8. In doing so, he denied pre-race favorite Noah Lyles his anticipated sprint double.
Lyles, who had sensationally claimed the Olympic 100m title just days earlier, couldn’t match the blistering speed of the 21-year-old Tebogo. The American finished third in 19.70 seconds, behind his compatriot Kenneth Bednarek, who secured silver with a time of 19.62.
After the race, Lyles disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. The track star, visibly struggling, needed assistance to leave the track in a wheelchair.
Tebogo dedicated his historic win—Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold—to his late mother, Elizabeth Seratiwa, who passed away last May. He held up his spikes to the cameras, revealing her birthdate inscribed on them, and showed her initials painted on his fingernails.
“I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet,” said an emotional Tebogo, who had previously claimed 200m bronze at the world championships last year. “Because she believed in me, even when I had so much doubt in myself.”