Letsile Tebogo Stuns Paris, Claims 200m Olympic Gold

Letsile Tebogo of Botswana shocked the athletics world by winning the Olympic 200m gold medal at Paris 2024, denying Noah Lyles a chance at a historic sprint double. Tebogo, 21, set an African record by running 19.46 seconds, finishing ahead of American Kenneth Bednarek, who clocked 19.62 seconds. Lyles, who had already secured the 100m title earlier in the week, took third place with a time of 19.70 seconds, matching his bronze from Tokyo 2020.

Lyles had aimed to become the first man since Usain Bolt in 2016 to win both the 100m and 200m at the same Olympics, but a positive COVID-19 test that emerged after the race hindered his performance. Despite his usual showmanship before the race, Lyles couldn’t challenge the leaders and needed assistance off the track, eventually using a wheelchair.

Letsile Tebogo, a rising star in athletics, previously won bronze in the 200m at the World Championships and silver in the 100m in Budapest. His victory in Paris secured Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal. Tebogo dedicated his win to his late mother, Seratiwa, who passed away in May. After the race, he held up his spikes, displaying her date of birth and expressed that he felt her presence with him during every step of the race.

Tebogo’s victory ended Lyles’ 26-race winning streak in the 200m and solidified his status as a formidable competitor on the global stage. Lyles, the reigning world champion and the fastest man over 200m this year, fell short of his goal to replicate Bolt’s legendary sprint double. With two relay finals still ahead, Lyles faces uncertainty about his fitness to compete.