Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo discussed his friendly rivalry with Noah Lyles, despite past comments on Lyles’ arrogance.
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Tebogo clarified his remarks on a video conference call with reporters, emphasizing mutual respect between him and Lyles.
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After winning in Paris with 19.46 seconds, Tebogo, raised eyebrows in his press conference. He suggested he couldn’t be the face of athletics because, unlike Lyles, he wasn’t “an arrogant or loud person.”
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He has since clarified that he did not mean his words as criticism but rather as an acknowledgment of their contrasting personalities.
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“When you get onto the track, it’s all about business,” Tebogo explained to reporters.
“But when we finish, you can be friends. Life goes on.”
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He praised Lyles for being a showman who helps promote the sport, even if his own demeanor is more reserved.
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“The ‘arrogance’… he’s good to sell our sport. But with me, I’ll always shy away from doing that because that’s me.”
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Three-time 200m world champion Noah Lyles was the favorite heading into the Paris final but later revealed he had been battling COVID-19, which may have impacted his performance.
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With Lyles aiming to reclaim his dominance this season, Tebogo is prepared for the challenge.
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“Everybody who’s there on the lineup is a rival,” Tebogo said.
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“You cannot eliminate somebody because he didn’t perform well at the 2024 Olympics or 2023 World Championships. It’s a new year, new beginnings, new goals.”
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He stressed that while the competition is fierce on the track, off it, they remain fellow athletes with mutual respect.
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Beyond his rivalry with Lyles, Letsile Tebogo is focused on giving back to his community. Recently named World Athletics’ global ambassador for the Kids Athletics program, the 21-year-old is using his platform to encourage young people to pursue sports instead of crime.
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Growing up in a tough neighborhood in Botswana, Tebogo credits athletics with keeping him away from a life of crime.
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“Sport has really helped me a lot,” he shared.
“In the neighborhood I grew up in, there were a lot of criminals, so we thought that was the only way to survive. But with sport, I knew I had to go to school, then training—you don’t have time to roam the streets.”
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Tebogo’s journey from a football-loving left-winger to an Olympic champion is a testament to his discipline and determination.
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“It’s about pushing myself to the maximum to show kids they can succeed in sport—whether basketball, football, or athletics—instead of turning to crime.”
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After a second-place 400m finish at Melbourne’s Maurie Plant Meet, Tebogo now readies for his long-awaited first home race post-Olympics.
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Tebogo will compete at the Botswana Continental Tour meet in Gaborone on April 12.
