In a stunning twist at the Paris Olympics 2024, Botswana’s own Letsile Tebogo delivered a surprise performance by clinching the 200m gold medal, thwarting Noah Lyles‘ bid for a sprint double. At just 21, Tebogo blazed through the final with an astonishing African record of 19.46 seconds, leaving American Kenneth Bednarek in his wake, who finished at 19.62. Meanwhile, Lyles, who had been crowned the world’s fastest man with a razor-thin margin in the 100m final, couldn’t maintain his momentum in the 200m. He settled for a bronze, equalling his Tokyo result with a time of 19.70.

Letsile Tebogo made a mesmerizing comeback at the Stade de France, where his Olympic medal debut shimmered with gold. Having finished sixth in the Paris 100m final, Tebogo entered the 200m with a personal best of 19.50, trailing the favorite’s 19.31. Yet, his performance was nothing short of magical—a blend of unparalleled speed and elegance that left both spectators and critics spellbound. His extraordinary display of athletic prowess has crafted a moment so enchanting that mere words can scarcely capture its brilliance.

In a recent episode of the “Ready Set Go” podcast, host Justin reflects on Tebogo’s incredible sprinting feats with awe. He muses, “Alright, so if someone came to me at 20 years old and said, Justin, you about to go to the Olympics and you about to run 9 8 19 4 and then you going to drop a 43 out the hole for the four by four and you about to be able to make an epic finish in the finals of the four by four. That’s a good day.” Justin imagines himself being in Tebogo’s shoes—performing at such high levels in multiple events at the Olympics emphasizing that even without winning medals, the sheer accomplishment of these times and performances would be enough to make him feel fulfilled and triumphant.

Justin then went on to reflect on the remarkable feats of the 21-year-old, sharing his own perspective with, “You ain’t gotta tell me what medals I won if even if I won medals, I’d have been happy with that. I’d have been happy with that. Like a nine, eight, a 19 four and a 43 on the 400,” His sentiment reveals a deep satisfaction with the sheer performance, irrespective of the awards. Meanwhile, co-host Rodney Green supported Tebogo’s accomplishments with a bold statement: “No sprinter. I know y’all gonna get me in the comments or correct me in the comments, but I really believe no sprinter had the workload.”