We just have to accept that Letsile Tebogo is Letsile Tebogo. He is like no other. However, this will not and should not stop comparisons with other greats that came before him.
Yes, other greats, because what he has already done has elevated him to the top table of athletics’ finest. While Tebogo has at some stage been compared to the greatest sprinter to grace the global tracks, Usain Bolt, he seems to have certain traits that belong to another yesteryear superstar. Many will remember a man who blazed the trail in the 1990s in the form of American sprinter, Michael Johnson. Johnson became Olympic champion four times while he held world titles in the 200m and 400m, eight times. At some point he was one the most talked about male athlete, until of course the entry into the grand stage of the all-conquering Bolt. Johnson broke both the 200m and 400m world records and had a great kick as well as endurance. Tebogo is a talented sprinter but he has not found much joy in the 100m early into his career. It is not up to us, keyboard warriors, to determine where Tebogo’s future lies.
That is for the technical team and the man himself to decide his course. But as we are held captive in Tebogo’s world, we cannot help but sustain certain arguments, valid or invalid. The power that Tebogo has, particularly at the bend and post the bend in the 200m has some Johnson attributes. Noah Lyles, who had declared the 200m is his wife, lost the battle at the Olympics to Tebogo at the bend. The American was looking to utilise the inner lane and his raw sprinting agility to power past Tebogo but the Botswana runner clearly has a superior engine in that race. In the 100m, Tebogo has not found his strides, at times starting well only to be let down by his finish, while in some instances, he is slower off the blocks, then tries to power at the finish. However, there are no such issues for Tebogo in both the 200m and 400m distances.
Few would have thought that Tebogo has the staying power in the 400m. But he proved too all and sundry that he has the right skills set to become one of the world’s best 400m runners. I would say Wayde van Nierkek’s 400m record is in more immediate danger if Tebogo is to shift and focus on that race. This on the assumption that he will, at some point, dump the 100m. Bolt’s 200m record will take some effort to beat, but with Tebogo expected to shift gears as he enters his prime, nothing can fall under the ‘impossible’ category. Tebogo ran 43.03 seconds in the relay split at the Olympics, which is the world record held by the South African. It is clear that Tebogo has the endurance and the perfect running style to succeed in both the 200m and 400m. Meanwhile, the issue of athletes not being allowed to sell their medals, as per Botswana’s chef de mission at the Olympic Games, is highly debatable. At some point, these medals should sustain the livelihoods of Botswana’s heroes. But that is a debate for another day.
