Tebogo on the brink of history
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday August 25, 2023 12:00
Tebogo will face a star-studded line-up at 9:50pm. The first Botswana athlete to win a medal at the World Athletic Championships was Amantle Montsho in 2011 when she became the world 400m champion in Daegu, South Korea.
Tebogo impressed in his first World Athletics Championships being held in Budapest, Hungary, where he won a silver medal in the 100m. By so doing, he became the first African to win a medal in the 100m and pocketed $35,000 (about P470,000).
A podium finish, particularly a gold medal, will see Tebogo receive $70,000 (about P920,000) which will make him an instant millionaire. However, he has a job to do first before thinking about the bank balance after he qualified for the 200m final last night. Tebogo finished second in his semi-final race, clocking 20.97 secs.
The 100m silver medallist faces stiff competition from Americans, Noah Lyles and Erriyon Knighton. Zharnel Hughes who claimed the 100m bronze is another competitor to look out for.
At only 20-years-old, Tebogo is making the most out of his young athletics career. His success has seen his bank account bulge in recent months. Other than the $35,000 he pocketed on Sunday night, the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) will reward him with P75,000 under the athletes' incentives policy.
He has been a podium contender at the championships since setting the 200m Africa record of 19.50s during the Diamond League meet in July.
While he was already in Europe preparing for the World Athletics Championships, Tebogo was the toast of the night during the Botswana National Sports Awards where he was crowned the Sportsperson of the Year. The big award, which is sponsored by mining company, Debswana, has a cash prize of P100,000.
He walked away as the Junior Sports Person of the Year which carries a P75,000 cheque before he received P25,000 for the Minister’s Special Award. He has also received AUSC Region 5 Sportsman of the Year and the BNYC Minister’s Award. After the World Athletics Championships, Tebogo will compete in the Diamond League final where if he emerges victorious, he will pocket $30,000 which is equivalent to P405,000.
Tebogo statistics:
Silver medal 200m: World Athletics Championships (Budapest 23). Gold medal 200m: African senior championships (Saint Pierre 2022). World Under 20 Championships: Gold medal 100m: Nairobi 2021 Gold medal 100m: Cali 2022 Silver medal 200m: Nairobi 2021 Silver medal 200m: Cali 2022