Who is Letsile Tebogo? Everything about the 20-year-old Botswanan athlete who clocked 44.29 PB in the 400m

Letsile Tebogo is a track athlete from Botswana who specializes in sprinting events.

Tebogo has grabbed the headlines once again after he stormed to a personal best performance in the men’s 400m at the ASA Grand Prix in Pretoria, South Africa. With a previous best time of 44.75, he achieved a new best time of 44.29s to claim victory in the event.

A month ago on February 17, 2024, he had established the world record in the 300m by clocking a sensational 30.69s at the Simbine Curro Classic Shoot-Out in Pretoria. This mark was 0.12 below the previous world record of Wayde van Niekerk (30.81s) in Ostrava in 2017.

With this, let’s explore more about the 20-year-old who can be a serious threat to other top athletes at the Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Letsile Tebogo’s parents and hometown

Letsile was born on June 7, 2003, in Kanye, Botswana. His mother, Seratiwa Tebogo, raised him as a single parent.

When did Letsile Tebogo take up the sport?

Letsile took up the sport when his mother recognized his potential at a very young age. Instead of asking him to prioritize his studies to become an ‘A-student’, Seratiwa encouraged his athletics career by traveling with him whenever required to support his career.

Letsile Tebogo’s diet

Despite his likeness for eating junk food, Tebogo has a strict diet. His mother typically feeds him with the country's staple organic foods, such as mabele (a sorghum porridge), which has brought good results so far.

Who is Tebogo’s idol?

Tebogo has been hugely inspired by legendary sprinter Usain Bolt and considers Bolt as his idol.

Letsile Tebogo’s other prominent achievements

Silver medalist Erriyon Knighton, Gold medalist Noah Lyles, and Bronze medalist Letsile Tebogo pose for a photo during the medal ceremony for the Men's 200m Final at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images for World Athletics)

Tebogo is renowned for his performance at the World Athletics Championships 2023 where he bagged two medals, including a silver in the 100m, and a bronze in the 200m. In the 100m, he just finished second to Noah Lyles as he recorded a national record time of 9.88.

He first rose to prominence at the international level when he clinched back-to-back 100m titles World Athletics U20 Championships in 2021 and 2022. Besides this, he also collected the 200m silver medals in the same editions at the championships.

At the African Championships 2022, he won the 200m with a time of 20.26s, making him the youngest winner of this title in the history of the championships.

In April 2022, he became the first athlete from Botswana to breach the 10s barrier as he recorded a 9.96s at the Gaborone International Meet, establishing a then-world U20 record. After improving it on multiple occasions, he holds the 100m U20 record with a 9.91s in the World Athletics U20 Championships final in Cali.