Noah Lyles’ Botswanan Rival Continues to Shine With Spectacular Performance Out of “Comfort Zone”

Last year when Noah Lyles was celebrating his 100m victory in the Budapest Worlds Athletics championships, he rarely gazed at a 20-year-old sprinter masticating his second-place finish in that race. Later the Botswanan sprinter moved himself to the 200m and 400m events in that year, to receive sprinting maturity. The results were phenomenal, as continuous improvement was visible in his performance. Now, that 20-year-old sprinter is repeating his success in the Olympic year. 

Last month, during the 300m outdoor, Letsile Tebogo earned the world record timing and with that, praise from rival Noah Lyles. Yesterday as well, the former U-20 world champion garnered attention from the American track and field star for his other success. 

Letsile Tebogo claims his personal best in the 400m race 

The rugged tracks in Pretoria seem to be a lucky place for Letsile Tebogo. Last month, he claimed the 300m world record in Pilditch Stadium there. Now, on March 18, the 1x African champion earned his personal best in the 400m outdoor event in Bestmed Tuks Stadium in Pretoria. Ultimately, Citius Mag’s X-handle captured the winning moment, captioning “Showing off that range! @LetsileTebogo2 of Botswana runs 44.29 to set a new 400m PB to win in South Africa…” Adding further joy to that achievement, Tebogo expressed his emotion just after claiming the victory by penning on X: “Great things never come from comfort zone”. Meanwhile, Noah Lyles reposted Tebogo’s victory news on X yesterday. The day captivated some more news from Tebogo’s side. 

Tebogo’s 400m timing last evening equaled the Paris Olympics qualifying mark in the event. So in Paris, the sprinter might take his chance at the 400m event. However, as of now, he is planning to go steady. Attesting to that, he claimed after the race, “My performance tonight shows that the speed is there. Everything is going according to plan. I want to compete in Diamond League Meets so that I get used to other top athletes. That will also assist me to be confident when I meet them at the Olympics.” 

That might send jitters to Noah Lyles and ilks. Intensifying that upcoming danger, a former Olympic champion threw his weight behind Letsile Tebogo just a few weeks ago. 

Justin Gatlin calls Noah Lyles and others to be on-toe

In his statement on the upcoming track and field possibilities, Justin Gatlin batted for Letsile Tebogo. Rather, he cemented Tebogo’s position along with Noah Lyles for his steady decisions to make himself mature. “Looking at what he looks like now, he looks a little bigger, he looks a little bit stronger, especially up top. That’s what Noah did. He matured and his body matured and now he’s able to hold and sustain his runs. Tebogo is going through the same situation right now,” the 4x world champion claimed. But with that, Gatlin argued for a different sprinting event for Tebogo, increasing Noah Lyles’ tension. 

Read more: “Cleaning Out Airducts”: Noah Lyles Opens Up on Life Before Illustrious Track and Field Career

“Tebogo is going to turn the 200m world upside down because now you have someone who is maturing into his events. He has shown that he is a championship-caliber athlete,” the former 200m world champion stated. Now, the participation decision is in Letsile’s hands. 

Also read: Noah Lyles’s Coach Makes Bold Claim for 100M at Paris Olympics 2024