Origin, Parents, Career, Training Base, Mother’s Death & Next Race

Botswana sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo has won so much at a very young age but what has been the journey of the 21-year-old?

Letsile Tebogo has turned into one of the world’s top sprinters despite still being just 21 years old.

Tebogo has had a meteoric rise since bursting onto the scene as a junior but took the world by storm in 2024 when he stunned American Noah Lyles to win the Olympics gold medal in 200m.

That was his country Botswana’s first-ever Olympics gold and the achievement made him a cult hero back home while the world was left in awe of his talents.

Since then, Tebogo has continued to attract global attention and he has backed it up with impressive performances as he had already set numerous records even before his gold medal win in Paris.

Letsile Tebogo: Origin, Parents, Career, Training Base, Mother’s Death & Next Race

Letsile Tebogo’s Origin

Letsile Tebogo was born in Kanye, a small village in Botswana on June 7, 2003 and has a younger sister who is a swimmer.

Who are Letsile Tebogo’s parents?

Not much is known about Letsile Tebogo’s father as he was raised by his late mother Seratiwa, who was his key support system, having encouraged him to take athletics seriously, opting not to force him to become an A-student once she learnt of his immense talent.

Their relationship was more like sister and brother but she instilled in him humility while his uncles, aunts and grandmother also acted as his other parents.

Letsile Tebogo’s Athletics Career

Thanks to his mother’s support and encouragement, Tebogo turned into a revered sprinter and he was already making waves at the tender age of 17.

Letsile Tebogo first tasted an international competition at the World Athletics Relays held in May 2021 in Chorzow, Poland and three months later, he competed at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya where he won the 100m and finished second in 200m.

By February 2022, after turning 18, he set a new national record in 100m, clocking 10.08 seconds and two months later, he lowered it to 9.96 at the Gaborone International Meet, becoming the first man from Botswana to run a sub-10 in 100m, which was also a new World U20 record.

He improved it to 9.94 at the 2022 World Championships, where exited at the semi-final, before lowering it further to 9.91 at that year’s World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia where he also won the 100m title and silver in 200m.

These achievements set the base for what would come next in the sprinter’s career as he won silver in 100m and bronze in 200m at the 2023 World Championships, his first medals as a senior and in 2024, he really took off.

Tebogo started by breaking the 300m world record, clocking 30.69 in Pretoria, South Africa and would lead Team Botswana to 4x400m gold at the World Relay Championships.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, few expected what would soon happen, especially after he finished sixth in 100m final, having clocked a national record 9.86, as he saved the best for last, flooring his opponents to claim the 200m title in an African record 19.46 and then led Botswana to 4x400m relay silver after being on the anchor leg.

Letsile Tebogo’s heroics in Paris saw him received as a hero back home when over 30,000 turned up at the National Stadium in Gaborone to welcome him and he was awarded millions in cash and hundreds of cattle while he would later be crowned World Athlete of the Year by World Athletics.

Where does Letsile Tebogo train?

Unlike other sprinters, who have opted to shift base to the United States or Jamaica, Tebogo trains back home in Botswana under his long-time coach Kebonyemodisa Mosimanyane.

Letsile Tebogo’s mother’s death

Letsile Tebogo experienced the lowest moment of his life when his mother Seratiwa died in May 2024 after a short illness.

The sprinter was competing in Los Angeles when his mother passed away and he had to take three weeks off to mourn and cope with his loss, a moment he has admitted nearly saw him quit running.

“When my mother passed away, I thought it was the end of my career. Because there was no drive in me. But I remember one day I was asked: ‘Just come and watch us train.’ So, I did that, and I started getting more interested again to get back into the sport,” Tebogo told World Athletics in December 2024.

When is Letsile Tebogo’s next race?

Letsile Tebogo will open his season at the Maurie Plant Meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, set to take place in Melbourne, Australia on March 29.