2022 was Letsile’s year!
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday December 24, 2022 06:00
He clinched the World junior sprint record with some international athletics commentators already earmarking him as the next Usain Bolt. As the year comes to an end, the sprinter remains standing tall with the focus now shifting to the coming season.
Tebogo's performance on the track was even given a nod by the World Athletics when he received a nomination for the Rising Star award. He was also nominated for the athlete of the month award.
Tebogo also received recognition from the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) together with his coach Kebonyemodisa Dose Mosimanyane. A series of superb sprint performances saw Tebogo secure the spotlight at the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22.
The 19-year-old set the tone with the world Under-20 100m record he achieved in the heats at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, clocking 9.94 to gain a place in the semifinals. Not willing to stop there, Tebogo then travelled to Cali to defend his world Under 20 100m title and also race for the top spot in the 200m after securing silver in Nairobi last year.
Tebogo opened his campaign in style, running a 10.00 championship record in the 100m heats on the first day of action. That record did not stand for long.
The following day he returned to the track to retain his title in a blistering 9.91, improving his world Under-20 record despite celebrating with 30 metres to go. Tebogo was a showman during the World Athletics U20 Championships Cali 22 and he stood a chance of grabbing two gold medals (100m and 200m). However, he had Israel’s 18-year-old Blessing Akawasi Afrifah for company and they pushed each other to a championship record of 19.96, that joint time moving them to equal third on the world Under-20 all-time list.
There were just six-thousandths of a second in it as Afrifah got gold and Tebogo silver. After six races in four days, Tebogo said that was the best race that he has ever run in his life so far. “I am really grateful for the performance and it is not everybody who can run these fast times, four days in a row,” he told the media in Cali.
His brilliance on the track saw him penning partnerships with Orange Botswana and Netcare 911. Tebogo is expected to bring more fire to the track when he prepares to compete on the senior stage. He has started preparing for next season with his coach in Maun.