Letsile Tebogo win’s Botswana’s first ever Olympic gold medal in 200m final 

Letsile Tebogo set an African record of 19.46 seconds in the 200m men’s final on Thursday 8 August to win Botswana’s first ever Olympic gold.

Tebogo saw off pre-race favourite Noah Lyles, who was vying to win the coveted sprint double, and Kenneth Bednarek with the two Americans winning silver and bronze respectively.

“It means a lot to the African continent because now they see Africa as a sprinting home, so we just had to make sure that the message is loud and clear,” Tebogo said.

“It didn’t take so long, they were just waiting for me to step up.”

“It was really a beautiful race for me. When we made it to the final, my coach just told me, now my job is done, it’s up to you to see what you can do. Whether it’s a medal or not, just finish the race healthy. That’s all I could’ve wished for. I’m happy I finished the race healthier than before.”

Photo by © Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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