“He Will Be the Face of Track”: Letsile Tebogo’s Historic Olympic Record at 4x400m Leaves Track World in a Frenzy

Radha Iyer | 11/08/2024
Unlike Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo Shies Away from Being the 'Face of Athletics' but Embraces "Superstar" Status at Home

Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo has recently been making waves all across the track and field world for his jaw-dropping speed. With a roaring success against Noah Lyles at the 200m sprint, the icon has since become a rising star in the community.

Recently, his stellar performance at the 4x400m relay, along with his teammates Busang Kebinatshipi, Anthony Pesela, and Bayapo Ndori, won them the silver, narrowly missing out on the gold bagged by Team USA.

Yet, their group received flowers from all over the world for the tough competition they put up. However, one milestone by Tebogo shone brightly amongst other achievements across various teams.

He marked the fastest split at the Paris Olympics during the 4x400m race, clocking in at 43.03s. This record only fell a few milliseconds short of the 42.94s that Michael Johnson established in 1993.

This historic moment for the track and field world deserved celebrations and fans joined in to express their shock and awe for Tebogo and his record on X.

Several felt that he was a promising athlete who still had much more fire left in him.

Some even rooted for a 400m sprint from him sometimes.

Chiming in with similar views, another fan felt that it was time for Tebogo to focus on long-distance sprinting instead of 100m.

Lastly, recalling his scathing dig at Noah Lyles from the 200m race, one fan joked about how he might just emerge as the face of the track instead.

What did Tebogo taunt Noah Lyles for?

Following his victory in the 200m sprint, Tebogo attended a press conference to field questions from the media. Amidst discussions about his coaching and training regimen, a reporter inquired about his perspective on the current state of track and field.

The journalist specifically asked if Tebogo believed he could become the new face of track sports after securing his historic gold medal. In response, Tebogo playfully deflected the question and instead brought up his competitor, Lyles.

Lyles had been forced to take time off after the race due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. In Lyles’ absence, Tebogo designated him as the face of track and field.

Interestingly, Tebogo justified this choice by describing Lyles as “arrogant and loud” – characteristics he considered suitable for the role.

Post Edited By: Sampurna Pal
Letsile Tebogo

About the author

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Radha Iyer

Radha Iyer is a US Sports writer at The SportsRush. With a Master's degree in Media and Communication, and a background in content creation and production, sports journalism has been a part and parcel of her demonstrated history in the said field. Olympic sports hold a special place in her heart, and she is particularly interested in sports like track and field, gymnastics, and swimming. She also draws inspiration from legendary athletes like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Simone Biles, and many more.

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