4-Time World Champion Justin Gatlin in Awe of Letsile Tebogo Shutting Down the ‘World Record Conversation’ at the World Relays 2024

At the World Relays in the Bahamas, Team Botswana dominated the 4×400-meter race. In the post-race interview, Letsile Tebogo was asked about the world record debates that had been taking place in the track community. Surprisingly, the 20-year-old completely excluded himself from the conversation because he had different goals than simply chasing long-standing records.

The four-time world champion, Justin Gatlin was overjoyed to watch the young athlete pump the breaks on the media and appreciated his words on the Ready Set Go podcast.

Tebogo has been a topic of conversation in the track scene as he prepares to begin the 2024 season. He joined the ASA Grand Prix Tour, where he set one world record and took two world leads. These made him the buzz of the town, and many predicted he might challenge Usain Bolt’s 200-meter world record at the Paris Olympics.

However, the track prodigy did not entertain the topic and flatly refuted the world record discussions, as the impressed Gatlin states in his podcast:

“I respect that because you work so hard as an athlete to be known and to be considered a candidate for such an amazing…you know what I’m saying? Movement or moment in time, which is breaking a world record or winning a gold medal. And people always want to kind of like W that before you even get a chance to do it. And that puts more pressure on you.”

In the post-race interview, the athlete admitted that he wants to minimize any unnecessary pressure before attending major track competitions such as the Olympics. Gatlin mentioned Tebogo’s point of view and completely agreed with it.

He also thinks that it is a burden that the young track star can handle, but he does not want too many expectations placed on him to predict his outcomes. Tebogo wants to succeed, and as seen by recent events, he has the self-confidence to achieve his goals.

Letsile Tebogo silently shutting down his critics

Veteran and even novice athletes frequently suffer criticism for a single poor performance during their season. The Paris Olympics will take place this year, and the track community is thrilled, but there are many self-proclaimed critics. Because of his achievements this season, Letsile Tebogo was a strong contender for the Kip Keino Classic.

The 300-meter world record holder competed in the 200-meter category, pitting himself against Courtney Lindsey of Team USA. Both athletes competed admirably on the track; however, the American finished a few fractions of a second ahead of the Botswanan sprinter. Tebogo settled for silver and received a lot of backlash from across the internet.

He arrived in the Bahamas for the World Relays with confidence and proved his naysayers wrong. In the 4×400-meter relay finals, Tebogo produced a 43.72 split on the second leg, giving Botswana a significant edge.

The team maintained their advantage, earning a spot in the Paris Olympics and a gold medal in the World Relays. It was an important day for the track prodigy, as he proved himself in numerous categories, making him a formidable competitor in the upcoming track meets.