"When I found out she had passed away, I thought it was the end of world" - Letsile Tebogo on losing mother before the 2024 Paris Olympics

Letsile Tebogo has opened up on the effect that losing his mother had on him, saying it made him contemplate ending his athletics career. Tebogo’s mother Seratiwa Tebogo passed away in May after suffering a short illness. At the time of his mother’s passing, Tebogo was fresh from competing at the Los Angeles Grand Prix where he finished second in the men’s 100m in a time of 10.13s.

In an interview with SuperSport, Tebogo said that he was gearing up for the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene when he had to change plans and travel home immediately. The 21-year-old paid tribute to his mother, saying she was there by his side all through his journey in the sport. Tebogo added that if his mother was alive, she would be celebrating with him following his 200m victory at the Paris Olympic Games.

"I believe she would be happy for what I did (winning Olympic 200m gold) because it is something that she believed I could do. She saw the potential in me through thick and thin. She was there every step of the way[...] When I found out she had passed away, I thought it was the end of the world for me," Tebogo said [3:58].

He added:

"I wasn’t home, I was in LA for the Grand Prix and the weekend I had the Eugene Diamond League. When I heard the news, we changed the plan so I had to come home and see what I could do. I thought I was closing the season."

Following his mother’s demise, Tebogo added, he thought he would never run again but detailed how he managed to bounce back, extending a hand of gratitude to his team for encouraging him.

"I thought it was the end of my career and I am grateful for the team that was around me because they just told me to take each day how it comes, don’t put yourself under too much pressure. So, step by step, I started to see the light, I wanted to run again and then finally when we got on tune, I got it right," he shared.

After his mother’s burial, the world 100m silver medallist returned to competition at the Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Cameroon in June where he raced the men’s 100m heats and won but did not start in the semifinal, blaming the poor organization of the event. He competed in the heats of the men’s 4x100m relay but did not show up for the final either.

At the Olympic Games, Tebogo got to the final of the men’s 100m where he clocked 9.86s for a sixth-place finish. He threw down the gauntlet in the men’s 200m final where he clocked an African record time of 19.46s to cross the finish line ahead of Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles who finished second and third in respective times of 19.62s and 19.70s.

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Letsile Tebogo paid tribute to his late mother following 200m victory at Monaco Diamond League

Letsile Tebogo (Source: Getty)

After dominating the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco in July 2024, Letsile Tebogo dedicated the win to his late mother. Speaking in a post-race interview, the world 200m bronze medallist shared the meaning of his celebrations and the place his mother held:

"The signs during my celebration were mainly for my mom. Everything I do now is for her, not for me," he shared.

Competing before a sold-out stadium in Monaco, Tebogo clocked a stunning 19.87s to win the race ahead of Alexander Ogando and Tarsis Orogot, who clocked 20.02s and 20.32s, respectively.

At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Tebogo won the men’s 200m Olympic gold wearing spikes bearing his mother's date of birth.