Tebogo Star continues to shine on global stage
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday December 3, 2024 09:50
Tebogo also scooped the Male Track Athlete of the Year award. Meanwhile, Sifan Hassan of Netherlands is the women’s World Athlete of the year. Following a vote by fans, Tebogo received the top honour on an evening that saw six athletes crowned in three categories – track, field and out of stadium – before the overall two winners were revealed. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of United States of America (USA) received the women’s honour. Hassan claimed the women’s out of stadium crown and Tamirat Tola the men’s, while Mondo Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh were named field athletes of the year. Tebogo also made history in Paris where he won the 200m race, as he claimed a first ever Olympic gold medal in any sport for Botswana. He ran an African record of 19.46 – a time that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list – and that performance followed his sixth-place finish in the 100m final. He went on to form part of Botswana’s silver medal-winning men’s 4x400m team.
He dipped under 20 seconds for 200m a total of nine times in 2024, with those performances topped by his Olympic title-winning mark which remained the fastest of the year. His fellow track athlete of the year, McLaughlin-Levrone, improved her own world 400m hurdles record twice, to 50.65 and 50.37, and claimed Olympic gold in that event as well as in the 4x400m. Tola, who joined Hassan in being named out of stadium athlete of the year, won the Olympic marathon title in Paris in an Olympic record. Speaking after receiving the awards, Tebogo said it felt amazing to know that the fans are always there for athletes, adding that it was a great year. 'This means a lot. It is not just about the team that is around you, there are a lot of fans out there that really want us to win something great for the continent. It was a real surprise to hear my name because I did not expect this,' Tebogo said. The world now looks forward to witnessing more groundbreaking performances from the trailblazing athlete as he continues to inspire and lead on the international stage.