Summer Olympics 2024 200m champion Letsile Tebogo has said he could not become as high-profile as Usain Bolt because he is not “arrogant or loud like Noah Lyles”.
Games debutant Letsile Tebogo took gold for Botswana in an African-record 19.46 seconds as 100m champion Lyles finished third at the Stade de France, having dismissed suggestions in the build-up that he could be beaten.
“I believe Noah is the face of athletics,” said Tebogo. “I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or loud person like Noah.”
Speaking between his thrilling 100m final win and the 200m decider, Lyles had refuted the idea that Kenny Bednarek could eclipse him by saying his team-mate “ain’t winning”.
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Lyles surprised in men’s 200m final
“None of them is winning,” added the 27-year-old, who was hindered by waking up a day before the 200m final to discover he had contracted Covid. “When I come off the turn, they will all be depressed.”
Sitting beside silver medallist Bednarek, Tebogo paid tribute to his mother, Seratiwa, who he honoured on his nails and shoes during the race following her death in May.
“She would be one of the happiest people on the planet because she believed in me and I had so much doubt for myself,” he said.
“I knew I had to match Kenny’s start because he has the best chance when he’s in front of you. When I saw I was neck-and-neck with Kenny, I knew I had the 400m programme in my legs, so I used it to finish the race.
“What makes Botswana special is the coaches those who are dedicated to doing their work and being passionate about what they want to do. They will help you grow through every step of the way until you make it.”
2 years ago he broke the 100m world U20 record with an epic celebration 🔥
Now he’s the Olympic 200m champion 🙌
Letsile Tebogo everyone ‼️#Paris2024 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/6WtDYda4z6
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 9, 2024
Tebogo: No Olympics ‘assumptions’
Despite an illness he described as “horrible”, Lyles said he had not considered giving up his place in the final and had quarantined.
Tebogo and Bednarek said they did not feel the participation of Lyles, who sat in a wheelchair after the race and wore a mask in interviews, had endangered their health.
“Personally, I wouldn’t say we were at risk because it’s not a contact sport,” observed 21-year-old Tebogo. “Even before, he was just there by himself.
“I didn’t want to make assumptions of what he was going through. I didn’t think of Covid or anything else.”
