Letsile Tebogo’s coach, Kebonyemodisa ‘Dose’ Mosimanyane’s life changed forever after his star athlete claimed the 200m gold medal. Mosimanyane struggles to control his emotions as he reflects on a journey that took them to the podium. Mosimanyane told MmegiSport that when they left for Paris, the plan was to gain experience. “It was his Olympics debut, so the plan was to reach the finals in 100m, 200m, and assist the 4x400m relay team if his body allowed. The 100m race is always difficult, it is everyone’s race and that is how it is won. I was happy with the preparations for the 100m, we did everything we could under the circumstances,” he said.
Mosimanyane said during the 200m race, he advised Tebogo not to risk getting injured or a false start before the final. He said they had trained hard for the 200m and knew that if they reached the final, they were sure of a medal. “My advice to Tebogo ahead of the 200m final was for him just to execute the curve as much as possible. I knew that if he closes Kenneth Bednareck, he has beaten Noah Lyles,” he said. Mosimanyane explained that he failed to watch the 200m final due to emotions. He only watched the repeat. “I am proud of Tebogo; he executed our plan. We have been working on this since 2021, and I have trained him for a medal. I told him to do exactly what he did at the 2023 London Diamond League. I also reminded him to go out there and run his race,” said the proud coach. During the London Diamond League, Tebogo finished in position two setting an Area Record (AR) and Personal Best (PB) of 19.50 seconds.
