"Noah Lyles better step correct this summer"- Fans react as Letsile Tebogo glides through 400m race despite being ill in season opener 

Olympic Champion Letsile Tebogo recently made his 2025 season debut in Botswana and competed in the 400m. The 21-year-old ran in racing flats and clocked 48.9s to finish second in the race.

Tebogo concluded one of the most successful seasons of his career, which included an Olympic gold medal in the 200m and five Diamond League wins. He emerged as one of the top sprinters of the circuit and continued his participation till the end of the 2024 season at the Diamond League finals.

The athlete from Botswana then transitions onto his off-season training to work on several aspects of his performance and prepare for his upcoming races. His first race of the 2025 season took many fans by surprise as he marched onto the track in racing flats instead of spikes.

Despite dealing with an illness Letsile Tebogo decided to compete in the 400m and was visibly gliding through the track and clocked 48.9s. Fans took to X to express their thoughts about the race and weigh in on the competition in the 2025 track season.

"Lyles better step correct this summer," wrote a fan.

"It's time for USA to step it up another notch/level in track and field you already have to contend with Jamaica who is the powerhouse but now Botswana after Tebogo got the Gold/Botswana Silver medals they no longer want to compete they're trying to dominate the sport," wrote a fan.

"In cruise control the whole time," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more fan reactions:

" Noah Lyles had covid too when he lost and it sounded like an excuse," wrote a fan.

" 48 with the flu 🤮 this man is different," another fan chimed in.

" It's a Botswana thing to be upright 😂😂," another fan tweeted.

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Letsile Tebogo on the impact of being the Olympic Champion

Letisile Tebogo at the 2024 Diamond League - Golden Gala - Source: Getty

Letsile Tebogo spoke about the impact of being the Olympic Champion in an interview with AFP. The Athlete from Botswana revealed how his life has completely transformed after winning the gold medal at the quadrennial games.

He shed light on how the experience is very new to him and it gave him access to a lot more opportunities in different avenues other than sports.

“The Olympics have taken me to a different level.It has opened a lot of doors for me. It has created more empowerment for the youth back in the country, back in the African continent, because now a lot of youth want to engage in sporting activities, not just athletics because I’ve shown them that anything is possible," he said.

Furthermore, Letsile Tebogo expressed how is now an inspiration to a lot of young kids from his country and hopes to leave a long-lasting impact on the sport with his incredible performances on the track.