Letsile Tebogo, the 21-year-old Botswana speedster, is leaving a blazing legacy throughout the track and field arena. The 2023 World Championship in Budapest first witnessed the explosive speed of the Botswana national. Tebogo claimed a silver in 100m and a bronze medal in 200m events. But that was just the start – Tebogo will go on to break the 300m world record at Simbine Curro Classic Shoot-Out, clocking 30.69s. The 20-year-old Botswana sprint sensation put the track on fire with his blistering 43.49 split at the 4x400m World Athletic Relays. That amazing performance seal an Olympic seat for his country in the 4x400m event.

How is he achieving one impressive feat after another? The unwavering support of her family and coach has been his biggest strength. It has made him the sprint sensation that he is today. Let’s delve into the incredible journey of Letsile Tebogo and the role of his mother and coach that has made him the true image of grit and perseverance.

Meet the mother of Letsile, who single-handedly raised the athlete

Tebogo broke the U20 100m record with his 9.94s at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon in 2022. He will shatter his own record a month later, clocking his personal best of 9.91s. However, much of the credit for Tebogo’s exemplary performance goes to his mother, Seratiwa. She is one that has pushed her son to achieve greatness and the results are apparent to the world. A single mother, Seratiws was a former athlete herself and later worked as a secretary. Interestingly, talking with BBC, she revealed that her relationship with her son was more like brother and sister and not mother and son.

That would probably be the reason that instead of dictating the life of her son, she let him follow his own path. Instead of forcing her son to excel in studies or become an A-Student in her words, she encouraged him to follow his passion and achieve athletics greatness. That worked tremendously since Tebogo soon became the youngest winner of the African championship.

Unfortunately, the greatest strength of Tebogo’s life, her mother, passed away in May this year.

“I’ve had such a huge blow that affected me deeply so I’m still trying to get the confidence back into the body. It’s not about injuries; it is all about my mum” said Tebogo.

Well, indeed, the connection was sacred and made Tebogo what he is now. However, there is another personality that moulded him into a star sprinter.

Who is Tebogo’s coach, Dose Mosimanyane?

Tebogo’s mother was the guiding light that propelled Letsile Tebogo to the height of track and field. However, the role of his coach, Dose Mosimanyane, couldn’t be less instrumental in forging Tebogo into a champion athlete.

A humble man, Dose has trained several Botswanan athletes to success. Besides Tebogo, Dose has also trained the 2024 Nassau 4×400 m relay gold medalist Leungo Scotch and the Olympian Karabo Sibanda, who finished fifth in the 400m at Rio 2016 events. But besides his coaching prowess, Dose is renowned for his kind heart. Following his parent’s advice that the most promising athletes are from humble backgrounds, Dose doesn’t charge from his pupils. But he is the man of focus as well and appears to have a clear plan for Letsile Tebogo.

When questioned whether he feels any pressure, Dose replied, “The answer to that can be yes or no,” he responded thoughtfully. “Or I can say the pressure isn’t too much, as we are following the plan we have set for ourselves. For every Olympic cycle, we have a plan that we follow, and this time around, we are following the Paris 2024 Olympics plan. Every performance we deliver is in line with that plan, which really makes our job easier.”

Well, the plan seems to be working spectacularly. Tebogo is already making waves at the Paris Olympics. He qualified for the 100m finals and finished sixth with a runtime of 9.86s. Now he is gunning for the 200m heat, where his true specialities lie, and could very well take it to the finals and the podium.