Letsile Tebogo in action at the World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21 (© Dan Vernon)
“Don’t worry about the start; what’s important is the finish”. That’s the advice world U20 100m champion Letsile Tebogo will pay heed to when he takes his place alongside some of the big names in track and field as he makes his Wanda Diamond League debut at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon on Saturday (28).
Barely a year ago, the teenager was a relatively unknown sprinter who had just started to make a name for himself in his home country of Botswana. However, Tebogo’s career has undergone such a remarkable transformation in the past year that he has since demonstrated his readiness to roll with the big boys.
And so his Diamond League appearance in the men’s 100m – which boasts a star-studded line up including world and Olympic medallists such as Christian Coleman, Trayvon Bromell, Andre De Grasse, Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley – will serve as a rite of passage of some sort.
Tebogo will be in good company as he also squares off with USA's world U20 200m record-holder Erriyon Knighton, who stormed to an incredible 19.49 on the same day the Botswana youngster also clocked his own world U20 100m record of 9.96, shaving 0.01 off Bromell’s previous mark set in 2014.
The teenagers will be going head-to-head for the first time after Knighton missed last year’s World Athletics U20 Championships Nairobi 21, which turned out to be a defining moment in Tebogo’s budding career.
Letsile Tebogo and Udodi Onwuzurike (© Roger Sedres)
The 18-year-old has no doubt paid his dues since switching fully to athletics in 2018 after failing in his attempt to become a football star. Hailing from a country best known for its quarter-milers who have since become household names, such as Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe, the much younger Tebogo opted for a road less travelled by focusing on the 100m and 200m and has made history in the process.
At the start of 2021, Tebogo began to make waves after setting a national U20 record of 10.39 in the 100m. He also posted an amazing 20.36 in the 200m at the BAA Series Meet in April and then at the Botswana U20 Championships in May, he further lowered the U20 100m record to 10.24, making him a strong contender for a medal at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi.
There Tebogo was simply sublime as he dominated his 100m heat with a time of 10.22 in Nairobi, then raised the stakes with a national record of 10.11 to maintain his unbeaten run. He was unstoppable in the final as he raced to gold in 10.19 to become the first ever athlete from Botswana to win a global title in the 100m. He would also claim silver in the 200m behind Nigeria’s Udodi Onwuzurike.
"I learnt that I need to put in more work to succeed all round," says Tebogo, reflecting on his experience in Nairobi. "However, the support from my country was really good. The secret to my spectacular performances are hard work and the people around me who motivate me."
The significance of his historic feat in Nairobi wasn’t lost on his compatriots, as they now consider the talented athlete a pacesetter in Botswana Athletics.
"This is our first big achievement in this event (the 100m) and it shows we are cooking something good in these areas," says national coach Chilume Ntshwarang.
"Normally, our medal prospects are in the 400m, but it’s very exciting to see us getting a medal in this event. Definitely we will be looking more at the 100m because we have young athletes who are coming up who are really good. Letsile set the pace."
Letsile Tebogo with his fellow world U20 100m medallists Benjamin Richardson and Shainer Rengifo Montoya (© Roger Sedres)
Tebogo returned home to prepare for the 2022 season and started the year with a bang by setting a national record of 10.08 at the Botswana Athletics Association Championships in February. His next race was at the Gaborone International Meet at the end of April.
Shooting out of the blocks, the Motswana was unstoppable as he stormed past the rest of the field, which included the likes of the South African duo of Benjamin Richardson and Henricho Bruintjies, crossing the line in that world U20 100m record of 9.96. The result saw him become only the second U20 athlete in history after Bromell to run inside 10 seconds for the discipline.
"It feels really good to be called a world record-holder because it’s something one has always dreamed of," Tebogo says. "It wasn’t part of the plan to be the first person from Botswana to do a sub-10, and so early in the season too, but we have accomplished something very huge."
It was not surprising, therefore, that Tebogo was named the most outstanding male athlete of the year by his country nearly two weeks after his world record-breaking display.
"What the country is doing is a good thing, so it helps us and motivates us to do even greater things for the country," he says of the honour bestowed on him by Botswana.
With a stacked schedule this year, which features the African Championships, the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, Commonwealth Games and World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22, not forgetting his new status as a Diamond League entrant, Tebogo is still trying to juggle the forthcoming events.
"I will go to the African Championships, World Championships and then the World U20 Championships," he says. "The African Championships is just for me to go out there and see what the big men are doing to be fast. I expect them to push me.
"For the World U20 Championships, I think I will have to go and defend my title. I still have to decide with my coach."
In the meantime, the multiple world U20 medallist is living his dreams. Sharing his advice for younger athletes who consider him a role model, he adds: "Rome wasn’t built in a day, so they should not give up on their dreams. They should keep pushing."
Yemi Olus-Galadima
