Letsile Tebogo pays tribute to late mother donning a t-shirt featuring her as he gears up for Brussels Diamond League finals

Botswana’s track sensation Letsile Tebogo recently paid tribute to his late mother Seratiwa Sthando-Same Tebogo, who passed away in May 2024, ahead of the Brussels Diamond League Final. Tebogo is set to compete in the tournament's men’s 200m event which will take place at the King Baudouin Stadium on September 14.

The 21-year-old, who rose to prominence after becoming the Olympic champion in the men’s 200m event, has experienced both highs and lows this season. The two-time U20 world champion kicked off his 2024 season by establishing a new 300m world-best in a time of 30.69s in South Africa. However, his personal life was affected severely due to the demise of his mother in May 2024.

Despite enduring such a challenging time, Tebogo bounced back to win Botswana’s first-ever gold in the Olympics history. He bested American track stars Kenny Bednarek (19.62s) and Noah Lyles (19.70s) as he achieved an African record and a new world-leading mark with a 19.46s in the 200m.

After his victory, he dedicated the gold medal to his late mother with the spikes he wore to win the race having an inscription of Seratiwa’s initials and her birth date.

Ahead of the 2024 Brussels Diamond League Final, Letsile Tebogo was captured wearing a long-sleeve athletic jacket with a zipper during a training session. On top of it, he wore a tshirt featuring his late mother on the front, with ‘Rest in Peace’ inscribed on it.

World Athletics, the global governing body, took to their Instagram to share pictures of some athletes who are featuring at the Diamond League Finals. Tebogo can be seen here, wearing the t-shirt as he gives a tribute to his mother (sixth slide).

Letsile Tebogo’s family criticizes reports of the athlete’s mother’s passing without their permission

Letsile Tebogo at the Paris Olympics 2024 (Photo by Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images)

While Letsile Tebogo’s family confirmed the news of Seratiwa Tebogo’s passing away via a release on May 20, they also condemned the act of outlets that reported the news before consulting the family. The statement read:

“While we go through this time of immense grief and loss, we are deeply troubled by the actions of certain media outlets responsible for sharing the news of her passing without consulting our family first.”

“We condemn the insensitive behavior of those who chose to prioritize 'breaking the news' over empathy. It was in the best interest of our beloved icon that the news of his mother's passing is not made public while he was away representing our country. His emotional well-being should have been respected above all else.”, the statement also noted.

Notably, Seratiwa lost her life when Letsile Tebogo was in the United States to compete at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting.