To say that Letsile Tebogo’s rise as one of the top sprinters in the world was meteoric might be an understatement. After snubbing the 200m favorite Noah Lyles in Paris to win gold, Africa’s new fastest man is on a tear. Despite 100m not being his specialty, the Olympic champion made a statement at the Rome Diamond League.

However, in trying to make a statement the sprinter may have exhibited the kind of behavior he criticized in Paris. The track and field star from Botswana had some harsh words for Lyles after defeating him at Stade de France. “I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or loud person like Noah. So I believe Noah’s the face of athletics,” Tebogo said in his sarcastic jab at the 100m Olympic champ.

However, Letsile Tebogo may have replicated Noah Lyles far more closely than he realized. A post on X, captured the Bostwanan showboating even before he crossed the finish line ahead of Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley. While defeating Kerley and especially a veteran such as Coleman in the 100m is a massive statement, the irony didn’t escape the fans.

The 27-year-old defending world champion stunned many in the track and field community after winning the 100m gold. The sprint-double world champion oozed with confidence after upsetting Jamaican rival Kisane Thompson. “When I come off the turn they will be depressed,” Lyles said ahead of the 200m finals. However, Tebogo didn’t seem to take those words lightly.

It could’ve been the reason behind the star athlete from Botswana calling Noah Lyles arrogant during the press conference. However, fans still thought what he did on the tracks of Stasio Olympico was no less boastful than Lyles saying “America! I told you. I got this!” after winning the 100m in Pairs. What did Letsile Tebogo actually do to earn this scrutiny?

Well, the African icon made sure his adversaries on the track understood who was dominant. Christian Coleman, the fastest man across 60m, exploded off the starting line taking the lead. However, Tebogo nipped at his heel and passed the leader comfortably at the 80m mark. With 20m left to go, Tebogo seemed to take his foot off the gas, stared at Coleman, and overtook him with his arms outstretched.

Coleman and the rest of the field sprinted at full speed. However, the Botswanan star made it look like he didn’t even need 100% effort to beat the like of Olympic bronze medalist Fred Kerley. If that wasn’t enough, Tebogo even seemed to gesture at Noah Lyles’ teammates right before crossing the line. The track and field community immediately called out the sprinter.

Fans reminded Letsile Tebogo of his comments on Noah Lyles

“Good for him but he criticized Noah for doing this type of stuff,” a fan commented on X. Others were not so polite with their critique. “What did he say about not being as obnoxious as Noah?” commented another netizen. While Letsile Tebogo may have remained humble in victory, the fact that Lyles was grappling with illness during the 200m race at Stade de France has affected the perception.

At least some Noah Lyles fans thought the outcome may have been different if the 27-year-old was down with COVID-19. After all, the American is the third fastest 200m sprinter in history. The 6x world champion’s 19.31s PB is well ahead of Tebogo’s 19.46s, 200m PB set in Paris. “There goes Mr. Humble,” wrote another X-user in an equally harsh statement. However, there was a good reason behind Letsile Tebogo celebrating even before crossing the finish line.

There was much more to the competition he faced than a fan led on by writing “…strong field,” in the comments. So let’s take a look at how the odds were stacked against Tebogo. Besides 100m not being among his strong suits, Tebogo left some of the best sprinters in the world in that discipline. Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley hold faster 100m PBs than the track star from Botswana at 9.76s. However, they weren’t the only favorites.

Kenyan superstar Ferdinand Omanyala came in with a season-best of 9.77s. Meanwhile, Marcel Jacobs was the defending 100m Olympic champion in Paris and held a faster season best at 9.85s. In fact, Letsile Tebogo found himself in a similar situation to Noah Lyles ahead of the Paris 2024 100m event. Kishane Thompson, Oblique Seville, and others arrived with much faster season-best times in Paris, only to fall to Lyles in the finals.

So it’s not surprising to see why Tebogo chose to celebrate after defeating sprinters who seemed better than him on paper. However, one track and field enthusiast said no one should be surprised by Letsile Tebogo’s display of dominance. “He’s never been humble.. he gloated at the WU20s too. Usain wasn’t this proud at this age. I don’t know why people compare them. Tebogo is more like Noah than Usain,” commented the fan.

The netizen certainly had a point as even track legend Justin Gatlin suggested giving Letisle Tebogo Usain Bolt’s ‘lghtning’ moniker during the Ready Set Go podcast. Yet no matter what fans believe, one thing is for sure; Noah Lyles vs. Letsile Tebogo will be the one to watch in the coming years.