GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana’s flamboyant sprinter, Letsile Tebogo has once again registered his name in the history books of athletics following his exceptional performance at the recent Simbine Curro Classic Competition held in South Africa, Pretoria over the weekend.
Tebogo ran the personal best (PB) and world leading (WL) time of 31.54 in 300m race beating South Africa’s Lythe Pillay to finish on podium. He showcased his strength and zeal as he easily sailed through the race, reducing his speed in the last 20 meters to win gold. Nonetheless, regardless of his remarkable performance, he missed out on breaking the National Record by a mere 0.10 seconds. He joined Wayde Van Niekerk (30.81) and Isaac Makwala (31.44) as the third fastest man in African 300m history.
In a post-race interview, Tebogo said he is happy to have started the season on a high and cited his intentions to break more world records this year. “The race was just ok even though it was my first time doing 300m in a competitive setup. It was not that competitive as I anticipated that why I jogged towards the finishing line. I am happy that I put my name in another history book and I am going to continue working hard so I can break more records and win titles. The season has just started and I am really working hard at training everyday,” he said.
Tebogo has been competing in 400m at the past Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) track and field series since the beginning of the year in order to better his speed prior to the major competitions.
He further added that he is currently setting his eyes on the highly anticipated Botswana Golden Grand Prix slated for April 29th in Gaborone. “I am looking forward to this event more especially that it will be contested by mostly top ranked athletes in the world and that’s where the real competition is. I want to see what I can offer in 200m and I am hoping for the best,” Tebogo said.
For his part BAA Vice President Technical, Oabona Theetso said they are thrilled by Tebogo’s consistency which is a true reflection of hard work and determination. “The season has started and our athletes are preparing for the major championships slated for this year such as the World Championships, Botswana Golden Grand Prix and Africa Games amongst others. Tebogo has been working hard and we are happy with his progress, we believe that his shape and form represents all other local athletes who have been working hard,” he said.
Tebogo is the current world U20 champion and world record holder at 9.91 seconds and he is one of the few athletes (Junior and Seniors) to have run under 10 seconds in the 100m (9.91) and sub-20 in the 200m (19.96).