It has been Letsile Tebogo's life-changing year where he announced his undisputed arrival on the global stage with a big bang. The sprinter from Kanye has achieved remarkable milestones that every athlete dreams of by the age of 21 years. His achievements are not only celebrated in Botswana but also in the rest of the world.
Tebogo is going for everything on and off the track, as evidenced by his clinching of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) award for the Best Male Athlete of Paris 2024 this week. The ceremony was held on Wednesday in Cascais, Portugal. In a moment when the nation and the entire African continent needed something to give them joy, Tebogo delivered the first-ever 200m gold medal beating a strong contingent of American sprinters. Tebogo blasted to glory stopping the clock at 19.52 seconds at the Stade de France. For the first time, the Botswana national anthem was played at the Olympic Games for gold.
Tebogo made the victory extra special when he dedicated it to his late mother, Seratiwa who passed away in May. His running shoes had his mother’s initials, EST (Elizabeth Seratiwa 'Sthando-same' Tebogo) and he also had the initials painted on his nails. The Wednesday award is certainly not the last we have seen this year as the athlete is nominated for another global award, the World Athletics 2024 Men’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) vice president-administration, Oabona Theetso told MmegiSport that they are excited about Tebogo’s ANOC award, especially since he went through a lot this year. “For him to win this award is a consolation to him and his mother who is having a peaceful rest, and as BAA they are happy that their athletes continue to do well in international events. We wish him the best in other awards that are coming up,” Theetso said.
Tebogo was a key cog in Botswana’s men’s 4x400m relay team that won an Olympic silver medal behind the American team. He stands a chance to bring the award home if the online voting numbers are anything to go by. He will battle it out against Rai Benjamin (USA), Grant Holloway (USA), Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway), Noah Lyles (USA), and Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Kenya). The closing date for voting was October 27.
There is nothing that will stop Tebogo from scooping the Sportsperson of the Year and Sportsman of the Year awards at the upcoming Botswana Sport Awards.
