"I’m a superstar in my country, which I don’t like"- Letsile Tebogo weighs in on life after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics 

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Sep 15, 2024 01:19 GMT

Letsile Tebogo spoke about the aftermath of winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The 21-year-old reflected on being an icon in Botswana as he won the country's first Olympic gold medal in track and field.

Tebogo participated in the Brussels Diamond League finals, his fifth consecutive Diamond League appearance after the Paris Olympics. Kenny Bednarek ended Tebogo's unbeaten streak to clinch the men's 200m title with a performance of 19.67s. Letsile Tebogo won the silver medal after clocking 19.80s.

He spoke about becoming an icon in his country in a post-race interview at the Brussels Diamond League finals. Tebogo revealed that due to his immense popularity, he cannot visit public places like the mall.

"I’m not a free human being these days. I’m just a superstar in my country, which I don't like because I can’t even go to the mall and get something for myself. I have to send somebody to do it. I think this also leads me to overthink so many things about why I became this person, and why didn't I choose another path but I can't go back to my ways. I just have to stick to the ways and just keep on going and see how I could overcome the whole situation that is in my head," he said.

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Letsile Tebogo on fulfilling his dream of becoming an Olympic Champion

Letsile Tebogo - Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Day 14 - Athletics - Source: Getty

Letsile Tebogo stunned the world when he won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics against a highly competitive line-up that included Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, and Erriyon Knighton. His journey to the pinnacle of the sport had several setbacks, which included his mother passing away weeks before the quadrennial Games.

He spoke about ultimately fulfilling his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal in an interview and said:

"I wouldn't put it that way, but it feels amazing to be Olympic 200m champion, because, the whole thing, my mummy passing away, we just put all focus on the 200m, because the 100m wasn't easy, it needed so much work to be done," he said.

"But, with the 200m, we know that any medal is possible, but me going into the final with what I did on the semi-final, it gave me a confidence booster, but to myself, I was like, maybe he's playing mind games, but when he went off the band, I didn't see him on my left, I was like, okay, now it's just time for me to execute everything," he added.

Tebogo concluded the most successful season of his career so far after the Brussels Diamond League Finals.