In the mind of an Athlete – Letsile Tebogo

Kevin Mokento | Monday July 25, 2022 06:00

However, his moment of glory quickly fizzled into a damp squib, thanks to World Athletics for rejecting the record.

What could have gone on in his mind when the bad news was broken?

It would not be farfetched to believe that, cooped in his bedroom with a brutally blown ego, all by himself with no one to console him, when the reality of that decision set in, Letsile Tebogo must have been hit by multiple episodes of heartsickness, despondence and sadness, wondering why he had to suffer this injustice and how soon he could batten down the hatches and exploit the opportunity to vindicate himself.

Would he allow his confidence to be knocked, or would this be just the impetus he needed to propel himself to greater heights? Imagine the dampened mood among his camp, his friends and family, some of whom were already viewing the lad as a world champion, full of promise, and a fitting replacement of the greatest sprinter of all times, Usain Bolt.

What would his coach have said? Would he join the amplified chorus of disappointed compatriots who derided the governing body for World Athletics for being unfair to another African, in much the same way they were unfair to South Africa’s Caster Semenya whose only crime was to be born a female with an unusually higher level of testosterone, a hormone she neither created nor artificially boosted.

In what many disparaged as a blatantly unfair, pc?? deflated and insanely ridiculous decision that patently smacked of uncalled discrimination, despite conceding that placing a cap on “naturally occurring levels of testosterone” was discriminatory, the Court of Arbitration for Sport maintained that in the interest of maintaining fairness, such prejudice was “necessary” and “reasonable.”

What a load of balderdash! As it turned out, despite the five gold medals that she had fairly bagged at the Olympics and the World Championships, the supreme sports court deliberately pulled the plug on Caster’s ability to win more medals. The South African never recovered from that ruthless injustice. Ethically, how could it be acceptable for Caster to temper with a naturally occurring hormone that did not imperil her life?

Back to the people’s darling, Letsile Tebogo.

Smarting from that offensive snub by the World Athletics body, would the poor teenager survive the mind games? Judging by his quiet and unpresumptuous disposition, he must have favoured action over words.

Surely, he is smart enough to appreciate that big mouths often get burnt. He was aware that the World Championships were only three months away, and he must have been determined to speak with his feet and irrefragably lay the issue to rest in Eugene, Oregon. But could a nagging doubt have discouraged him? Perhaps wondering if he would perform well on a world stage with all the big names, some of whom he must have adored and idolised at some stage during his budding career? Imagine Letsile Tebogo delightedly picking up a call from his former coach, clearly beside himself with joy, acknowledging the superior performance of his protégé, and advising him never to look back, but to look forward with the confidence of a master sprinter.

Mentally visualise Letsile Tebogo’s interactions with his coach Kebonyemodisa Mosimanyane, particularly in the couple of weeks leading to the World Championships. Relentlessly working on the psyche of the young man and doing what all coaches excel in, motivating the teenager to believe in himself, saying, “Your participation at the forthcoming championships is not a favour from the world. You have passionately worked for it. And you have earned every right to not only participate at that level, but also, to meaningfully compete like a fully-fledged champion. Do not waste your energy announcing to the world that you are a novice.

The world could not care less. Challenge yourself and adopt a single-minded disposition towards success. By the way, at your level, all athletes enter the racetrack thinking that they are potential winners. Jump in the shark-infested ocean and swim with the confidence of an accomplished champion! Ruffle the feathers and feel good about it. Go for gold my boy! You deserve it! Please sear these words into your memory.”

As often as he riffled through the words of his coach, now safely stowed in his cerebrum, Letsile Tebogo braced himself for a win. He trained like his life depended on winning gold at the World Championships.

He must have gone through multiple dreams of losing and winning. Imagine the night he dreamed of winning gold. Reminding himself of his coach’s motivational talk while kneeling and positioning his feet properly on the starting blocks.

His heartbeat racing as he heard the words, “On your marks,” followed by “Set” and the thunderous boom of the starter’s pistol. Wasting no time in leaping forth from the blocks. Accelerating while leaning forward and pumping his arms aggressively. And finally straightening out his body and effortlessly outpacing the pack. Beaming with smiles as his idols took turns congratulating him and finally taking his centre position at the podium, admiring his most prized possession, flanked by the more experienced athletes. Upon waking up, Letsile Tebogo must have been determined more than ever before to clinch the 100-metre championship title.

Picture Letsile Tebogo in the dressing room of the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field Stadium. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Yohan Blake, Akani Simbine and Andre de Grass. The more forward of the athletes sarcastically trash-talking his pedigree and asking whether the young man had lost his way into the dressing room, while others said, “Here is Africa’s new sensation of no zero-gun test fame.” All trying to discourage the young man with a fistful of disparaging remarks meant to force him to lose focus. Again, Letsile Tebogo anchored himself, this time rigidly so, on the inspiration he had received from his coach. He went on the track and effortlessly won the 100-metre hit and qualified for the semi-finals. Letsile Tebogo became the second teenage athlete in history to finish the sprint in less than 10 seconds, not only breaking a record that was set eight years ago but also the unfairly disputed record he had set three months back.

Flashes of him at the podium kept crossing his mind. He could see and smell gold. It was within his grasp. Only if he could focus. But a few seconds before the pistol went off in the semis, debilitating nerves gripped the young man, and he was hit by a powerful burst of palpitations. Unaccustomed to racing with an unoccupied lane beside him, Letsile Tebogo’s muscles tensed as anxiety and self-doubt crept in and ruined his confidence. Caught on the back foot, this time he did not spring off the blocks with the same gusto of the hits. He was stressed. He faltered and stumbled as the entire pack accelerated. But to his credit, he was quick to collect himself and managed to finish the race.

Understandably, the young man was devastated. He wanted to cry. While tears were welling in his eyes, before they could roll down his cheeks, he maintained eye contact with his coach. The coach gave him the look. This look, that was understood by the two of them only, was meant to inspirit him. While words were unspoken, Letsile Tebogo understood his coach well. The young man had to be protected from himself. With a fluid burst of positive emotion, the coach was in effect saying to him, “Snap out of it right now. You may have lost this race, but you are not a loser. Don’t allow this destructive memory to linger on. You are younger than these folks. You have a bright future. You have your work cut out for you though. Nursing grief vexes me no end! In the next few weeks, we have a choice between the Commonwealth Games scheduled for the United Kingdom and the World Athletics U20 Championships billed for Colombia. Again, let’s aim for nothing less than gold.”

With bated breath, the optimistic nation has to patiently wait for that gold. But there is no hurry! Letsile Tebogo has demonstrated willingness to work hard and excel at what he does. Of course, he can do with a little encouragement from the people who care about his performance. And he has everything working in his favour; age, positivity, ambition and raw passion. All those rooting for Letsile Tebogo agree on this one fact, ahead of him, there are more valleys than mountains! Hasn’t the young man earned the right to meaningful sponsorship from the private sector?