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Olympics 200m champion Letsile Tebogo has shared how the untimely demise of his mother saw him think about quitting athletics before bouncing back to win a gold medal in Paris.
Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo has recounted the difficult moments when he lost his mother as he was preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Tebogo’s mother Seratiwa Tebogo passed away in May when the sprinter was away in Los Angles and the devastating news broke the 21-year-old into pieces, making it difficult to cope, as he was so close with her after she had seen him through the formative years of his career.
The athlete would take nearly one month out to deal with the untimely loss at a time his rivals were finetuning for the Olympics but he returned and still managed to silence his rivals by winning an Olympics gold in 200m, to the surprise of many.
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18:48 - 20.08.2024
Letsile Tebogo reveals the moment he knew victory was his in Paris Olympics 200m final
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo has discusses his strategy and confidence leading up to his victorious 200m race at the Paris Olympics.
“I believe she would be happy for what I did [winning Olympics gold] because it is something that she believed I could do. She saw the potential in me through thick and thin,” Tebogo told SuperSport TV.
“She was there along every step. When I found out she had passed away, I thought it was the end of the world for me. I wasn’t home, I was in LA for the Grand Prix and the weekend I had the Eugene Diamond League.
“When I heard the news, we changed the plan so I had to come home and see what I could do.”
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09:13 - 13.07.2024
'Everything I do now is for her'- Letsile Tebogo dedicates Monaco Diamond League victory to late mother
Letsile Tebogo has paid a heartfelt tribute to his late mother Seratiwa Tebogo after claiming dominant win at the Monaco Diamond League.
Tebogo, however, admits coming back to training and the track was not easy as he contemplated quitting athletics altogether following his mother’s demise.
He credits his team for allowing him enough time to process the loss while also giving him the motivation to return to the sport.
“I thought it was the end of my career and I am grateful for the team that was around me because they just told me to take each day how it comes, don’t put yourself under too much pressure,” added Tebogo.
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14:42 - 19.08.2024
Letsile Tebogo gifted diamonds for winning gold at Paris Olympics
Botswana’s golden boy Letsile Tebogo continues to reap from his Olympics success after being handed treasured diamond and more cash rewards at the weekend.
“So, step by step, I started to see the light, I wanted to run again and then finally when we got on tune, I got it right.”
Tebogo went on to reach the final of the 100m at the Olympics but finished fifth, in a time of 9.86, a race won by American Noah Lyles, but got his revenge in the 200m when he floored the triple world champion to claim gold, Botswana’s first-ever, in a time of 19.46.
American Kenny Bednarek won silver in 19.62 while Lyles had to settle for bronze after clocking 19.70.
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09:12 - 19.08.2024
'Tebogo had 30,000 but I had no bus waiting'– American sprint king slams USA for not celebrating its Olympians
The Olympic champion has expressed his disappointment at the lukewarm reception Team USA athletes received back home despite their successful outing in Paris.
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