A star is born!
Calistus Kolantsho - Mqondisi Dube | Saturday August 21, 2021 06:00
Tebogo's victory comes hard on the heels of the men’s 4x400m relay team that brought home a bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
The young athlete made his intention clear from the heats as he emerged as the favourite to bag gold and did not disappoint.
During the heats, Tebogo registered 10.22 before he broke the national record in the semifinal running a time of 10.11. The Kanye lad bettered his own mark of 10.14 set in February in Gaborone.
Yesterday on a wet track, Tebogo showed the world his running prowess with a brilliant run, stopping the clock at 10.19. The supremely talented youngster is poised for bigger things, as he prepares to conquer the world in the years to come.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi was one of the first to send a congratulatory message to the triumphant star.
"I have not had a chance to watch the ongoing #WorldAthleticsU20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya. I have, however, received messages and watched videos of our rising star, Letsile Tebogo. A big congratulations to him for winning the gold medal in 100m today," Masisi tweeted.
At 18 years, Tebogo is already being lumped with some of the world's greatest sprinters. Comparatively, only Jamaican superstar, Usain Bolt, who holds the world and Olympics Games record, had a better record than Tebogo at the age of 18. Bolt clocked 10.03 at 18 years, while Tyson Gay of the USA clocked 10.56. Asafa Powell did 10.50. Yohan Blake tied with Tebogo at 10.11 and Justin Gatlin recorded 10.36 when he was 18.
Tebogo shifts his focus to the 200m heats where again he is favoured to pick gold. In the 200m, he has a personal and seasonal best of 20.36.
His rise has been meteoric and last September, he told Mmegi Sport, he had no other hobbies, but sleeps, eats and breathes athletics. He appears to have made the right choice.
Botswana's other success in the World Under-20 Athletics Championships came through a gold medals for Nijel Amos in Barcelona, nine years ago. On Saturday, Anthony Pesela also won gold in the 400m, as this year's competition becomes the country's most successful.