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Letsile Tebogo believes he has what it takes to match the fastest man in history
Newly crowned Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo is setting his sights on surpassing Usain Bolt's legendary 200m world record, which has stood for over a decade.
Tebogo emulates Bolt with 200m victory
The 21-year-old sprinter from Botswana has already established his place in athletics history, after securing his first Olympic gold medal in the 200m with a personal best and African record of 19.46 seconds in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Thanks to his blistering time in France, Tebogo now ranks as the fifth fastest man in Olympic history over 200m and he recently showcased his incredible form again by clocking 19.64 seconds to win at the Lausanne Diamond League.
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His time in Paris is the ninth fastest ever recorded, putting him in elite company, and the Motswana now believes that he could soon challenge Usain Bolt’s iconic 19.19-second world record set in 2009.
Tebogo’s Approach to Breaking Bolt’s Record
In a recent interview with The Inside Lane, Tebogo revealed his aspirations to break Bolt’s record, even though he is not under pressure to do so, saying, "I see it [breaking the record] but I don’t want to put myself under that pressure. If it comes, it will come eventually.
The Botswana national hero added, "We don’t have to push it this year or next year. Probably when we are 24, that’s when we could attempt something like that.
Despite his caution, Tebogo backed himself to match Bolt, concluding, "I don’t think it will take long. Looking at what I did today and what I did in the 200m final in Paris, I don’t think it will take that long because I could see it. It’s about 10 metres away from me.”
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Tebogo’s next opportunity to break Bolt’s iconic record will be at the Silesia Diamond League on Sunday, where fans will be eager to see if he can back his talk.
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