Letsile Tebogo stepped into his first Olympic berth with just one goal—to bring home Olympic medals. But he faltered in the 100m finals and had to settle for a sixth-place finish. In that race, people saw Noah Lyles joppig away, his name tag hel high, with the 100m Olympic Champion title. But little did the track and field community know that he would turn things around merely 4 days later. The Botswanan pulled off an upset win against crowd favorite Lyles with a blistering 19.46 seconds. 

Not only did the sprinter shatter an African record, but he also became the first from his nation to clinch an Olympic gold. However, the 21-year-old didn’t just end his season there. The Diamond League was calling his name, and the Olympian answered. His podium finishes in all 7 appearances have impressed a fellow Botswanan sprinter. Botswana’s first Olympic medalist, Nijel Amos, appeared on Punchline Podcast with Lawrence Seretse. While discussing his journey, the conversation eventually deviated to the 200m Olympic Champion. 

Seretse asked the middle-distance runner what he thought of the numbers Letsile Tebogo had been pulling recently. “I think we have a good one in there, you know? Good run of the years, yeah,” the 800m Olympic silver medalist stated. The 21-year-old has turned heads at every corner this season, especially with his incredible win at Stade de France. Amos seemed to agree as well. 

A day after the Botswanan’s stellar run, Amos gave him a shoutout on Instagram. “OLYMPIC CHAMPION 🙌 Taking Africa to the World. Congratulations @tebogo_letsile_ and much respect to Coach Dose and management @rosassociati” However, the middle-distance runner believes there’s more to come. “He’s one of the best, you know? He’s one of the best of generation,” he stated. But amid all the comparisons to track and field greats, the Botswanan reiterated what makes the 21-year-old stand out. 

“But the difference is that he’ll take the generation with him, you know? He’s one of the best who came out here with the proper structure that on him, that is there existing enough for him to be able to do that.“ Leading up to the Paris Summer Games, Letsile Tebogo spent three months doing intense training at Potchefstroom in South Africa’s North West Province. He solely believed that this was instrumental to him achieving his Olympic goals. 2024 has been exceptional for the 21-year-old, but how did he end his season with a bang? 

Letsile Tebogo’s unbeaten streak ended at the Brussels Diamond League

Noah Lyles wasn’t the only one who got left behind in the dust at Stade de France. 2x Olympic medalist Kenny Bednarek had to settle for yet another second-place finish in Paris. In fact, every time he faced the Motswana since the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the 21-year-old had scored right past him.

But as the duo locked horns at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme, things took a turn. Letsile Tebogo kept seizing W’s since Monaco. In fact, he was poised as the favorite to clinch the Diamond Trophy at the finale in Brussels. But a month after their battle for Olympic glory in Paris, Kenny Bednarek sprinted past him. He crossed the finish line in 19.67 seconds. On the other hand, the Botswanan had to settle for a second-place finish with 19.80 seconds on the clock.

Even though the American took home the Diamond Trophy, the Botswanan still remains the top 200m runner in 2024. However, the 21-year-old didn’t leave Brussels empty-handed either. His time of 19.80 seconds in the final was the best performance by any athlete under 23. So, with this, he became the first-ever recipient of the Jesse Owens Rising Star Award. 

Letsile Tebogo received a bronze statue of the 4x Olympic gold medalist. The newly inaugurated award was a collaboration between the Wanda Diamond League and the Owens family. Not only does this honor his incredible legacy, but it also recognizes the best upcoming talent in the sport. It’s a given that the Olympian has proved his mettle on the track. But with Nijel Amos’ seal of approval, the next season will be nothing short of thrilling.