Letsile Tebobo had a phenomenal Paris Olympics that saw him lift the 200m gold as the first African. Considered a dominant force in the track and field realm, Tebogo has gone on to prove that his Paris glory was not a fluke. Appearing in the subsequent Diamond League meets after Paris, the Botswana sprinter has been on the rampage. He has clinched victory in all of the meets, including his phenomenal 100m run to overcome the Christian Coleman challenge in Rome. Standing on the verge of ending things on a high, the Brussels Diamond League would be a test of character for Tebogo as he aims to catch up with Usain Bolt. 

Surprisingly, despite his wishes, Tebogo is very much rooted in reality. Ahead of his big Diamond League final in Brussels, Tebogo bowed down to the ultimate boss of track and field. When asked about whether recent athletes could surpass Usain Bolt’s greatness, Tebogo seemed skeptical. The 200m Olympic gold medalist stated that he was not taking any special training to challenge Usain Bolt’s records. However, he also stated that a completely new generation of fighters is coming up who have a different outlook towards the game, hinting at the inclusion of fashion into the mix. Tebogo said, “So for me, I believe we’re at an era where there’s a new generation coming up, where now we have to have a little bit of what you look like.” The Olympic gold medalist was swift to point out that Bolt’s deeds in the game are yet to be overshadowed. He said, “I believe that era we have passed, but we didn’t surpass his goals that he did in the track and field sport.”

Well, the comparisons started when Letsile Tebogo started blazing on the 100m and 200m tracks. While his personal best in the 100m is 9.86s, the Botswana sprinter clocked a whirlwind 19.46s at the Olympics. Although both times are way below the 19.19s and 9.58s marks, Tebogo will surely surpass the world record soon. Well, this was what Letsile Tebogo himself had to say after his Paris triumph. 

Letsile Tebogo aims to break Usain Bolt’s record

After a blitzkrieg in Paris, Letsile Tebogo’s confidence skyrocketed. In a post-race interaction with the media, the Olympic gold winner stated that he did not want to rush things when it came to breaking the 200m record. Tebogo stated that the feat does not necessarily need to come within the next couple of years. However, having said that, the Botswana sprinter is very confident about surpassing Usain Bolt. Thus, he made a bold claim, saying, “I don’t think it will take long, looking at what I did today and what I did in the 200m final. I don’t think it will take that long because I could see it, it’s about 10 meters away from me.”

On the contrary, track and field expert Rodney Green had a completely different take on the matter. He opined that the fans must cease comparing every athlete to Usain Bolt. Speaking on his ‘Ready Set Go’ podcast, Green stated that comparing the likes of Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo with Bolt and expecting them to achieve “high end accolades” puts unnecessary pressure on the athletes. 

Instead, he simply asked the fans to sit back and enjoy the blazing speeds of Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles and admire them for who they are. Thus, despite such a narrative from Green, all eyes will be on Tebogo as he fastens his shoelaces to set the track on fire at Brussels once more.