Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo has reflected on the challenges of adjusting to life as an Olympic champion and the responsibilities that come with it.
When Letsile Tebogo crossed the finish line in the men’s 200m final at the Paris Olympic Games, his life changed and has never been the same.
Competing at the Stade de France, Letsile Tebogo crossed the finish line first in an African record time of 19.46 seconds ahead of Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles who finished second and third in respective times of 19.62 and 19.70 seconds.
In a recent interview after the ASA Athletics Grand Prix 1 where he finished second in the 400m, Letsile Tebogo admitted that he still finds it difficult dealing with the Olympic champion tag.
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He explained that there is no choice since he has to lead by example and ensure he guides youngsters to become better than him and surpass what he has already achieved.
“It has a lot of consequences, and I just have to make sure that I step up going forward because I have a lot of youngsters coming behind me and I have to make sure that I guide them in the right direction. I want them to be me and go beyond what I have achieved as an athlete,” Letsile Tebogo said.
Speaking about his performance in the race, Letsile Tebogo explained that the season is long and the ultimate target is making it to the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan scheduled for September 13 to 21.
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The world 100m silver medallist pointed out that last season at this time, he had already competed in a series of races and posted fast times. He had also broken the 300m world best.
However, that does not worry him since he believes in the abilities of his team to get him ready for the main event of the season.
“We are preparing for something, we are preparing for the World Championships in September and also, and we don’t want to get the body tired,” Tebogo said.
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Okumu, who featured for Stade Reims on Sunday and played the full match, is notably absent from the 23-man travelling squad for their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Gambia.
“I believe this year, personally, I’m slower than what we did last year because at this time of the year, last year, I broke the 300m world record, went in to get the 200m world lead and then continued doing that for me.
“I believe this year is quite a slow year for us because September is really far and the season is so complicated so we want to get to September with a healthier body and healthier mind.”
Tebogo further explained why he loves going to South Africa for competitions and spending most of his time there.
From his track record, the world 200m bronze medallist has always opened his seasons in South Africa and he disclosed that he gets more serious when he is outside Botswana.
“South Africa helps us because it has good infrastructure that we utilise whenever we are here. We just make sure that we come out and enjoy ourselves and then focus more because in Botswana, we are comfortable and we need to put in more work. That’s how it helps us get to where we want to be,” Tebogo said.
The 21-year-old had a memorable 2024 season and will be looking to have a much better 2025 season with so much at stake.
As he gears up for clashes against the likes of Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, Kenny Bednarek and Gout Gout, Letsile Tebogo is certainly sharpening his talons for the ultimate test.
