Letsile Tebogo has revealed the one thing that sets him apart from other sprinters as he explained the main reason behind the decision.
Letsile Tebogo is undeniably an exceptional sprinter and following his win in the 200m at the Paris Olympic Games, he was asked if he would want to be the face of track and field.
However, with his laid-back personality and unmatched talent, Tebogo does not like being in the lime light whatsoever and he loves being under the radar, always.
In the 200m final, the Motswana sprinter clocked an African record time of 19.46 seconds ahead of Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles who came in second and third in respective times of 19.62 seconds and 19.70 seconds.
In a past interview with Sports Wave Africa Foundation, the world 100m silver medallist explained that he dislikes the celebrity tag.
He revealed that once he jets into his home country from an event, he is always ready to leave all his achievements on the side and interact with his compatriots like a normal person.
The world 200m bronze medallist explained that it is one of the qualities that makes him different from other sprinters and runners from Botswana.
“In Botswana, there are those people who call themselves celebrities…for me, I leave that name when I come into the country from any country that I’m from participating in a competition,” Letsile Tebogo revealed.
“I just leave that and I become a child who is just well known and then I always give people everything that they want. What makes me different from them is that I don’t consider myself a celebrity.”
He further noted that in case of anything, he would want to go back to the people and ask for help or guidance and it would not be possible if he treated them like lesser human beings.
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Elaine Thompson-Herah has been a victim of injuries and at one point in her career, she felt like there was no need to keep trying.
He also urged the young athletes not to get their small steps get into their heads. Letsile Tebogo further advised that they should be patient with themselves and not give up on their dreams.
“Once I have a problem I’m the one who is supposed to go beg and ask for help from the people. I would advise them that Rome was not built in a day and they should not give up on their dreams and they should keep on going, eventually, they will get to where they want to be in their athletics journey,” he shared.
He had a commendable season in 2024, rounding it up with a second-place finish behind Kenny Bednarek at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.
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Kishane Thompson has embraced a series of firsts, from seeing snow and touching it to making his indoor debut in Astana.
Tebogo is set to kickstart his 2025 season at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on March 29 before heading to the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen as he looks to achieve more milestones.
