"Everybody was shocked I ran 4x400m the following day"- Letsile Tebogo shares the ordeal of winning 200m to running the second-fastest relay split

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Aug 23, 2024 03:48 GMT

Letsile Tebogo recently clocked an impressive 19.64 seconds to win the men's 200m event at the Lausanne Diamond League 2024. Erriyon Knighton of the USA stood second with a timing of 19.78 seconds, while Olympic bronze medalist in 100m Fred Kerley stood third overall with a seasonal best of 19.86 seconds.

In an interview just after the race, Tebogo revealed how he felt after running under 43.5 seconds just days after he won an Olympic gold medal in the men's 200m.

Speaking to Citius Mag, Letsile Tebogo cheekily said:

"Everybody was shocked at the 4x400 the following day. That's the only crazy thing I can think of. I got calls, I got everything about it like, 'How could you do something like that? How do you run an African record yesterday and then the following day, you still split the fastest time?' It was really crazy."

Tebogo mentioned the men's 4x400m relay finals at the Paris Olympics, where Botswana won the silver medal. However, despite losing to Rai Benjamin of the USA in the anchor leg, Letsile Tebogo recorded a split timing of 43.04 seconds, which is not only the third-fastest overall but also the second-fastest timing for any 400m race, if we keep the world record in mind.

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Letsile Tebogo's performance at the Paris Olympics

Letsile Tebogo of Botswana with the gold medal for the men's 200m at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Letsile Tebogo of Botswana was one of the dark horses when he arrived at the Paris Olympics. He was not the favorite for an Olympic gold medal in 200m, but a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships with a timing of 19.81 seconds meant that he was no pushover either.

Tebogo focused on qualifying for the next level. He recorded 20.1 seconds to qualify for the semifinals. In the semifinals, he recorded a timing of 19.96 seconds. However, few realized his strategy for the finals.

Saving the best for the last, Tebogo surged ahead after the halfway mark in the finals, surpassing both Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles [who was running despite being affected by COVID-19] to create a new African record of 19.46 seconds, and winning the first-ever Olympic gold medal for Botswana in the history of Summer Olympics.

However, this was only the beginning. Tebogo further participated in the men's 4x400m relay the next day, where he ran the first leg in a decent split of 44.33 seconds. Botswana topped the heats with a seasonal best of two minutes, 57.76 seconds.

In the finals, Letsile Tebogo recorded a split of 43.04 seconds, better than even the American sprinter Rai Benjamin's split of 43.18 seconds. Even though he finished second, Tebogo's split timing helped Botswana clinch the silver medal with a new African record of two minutes, 54.53 seconds.