Olympic 200m gold medallist Letsile Tebogo is gearing up to make his mark at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix, a prestigious World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, taking place in Gaborone this Saturday, April 12th.
After focusing on the 400m this year, including an impressive 45.26 clocking in Melbourne, Tebogo returns to his trademark half-lap sprint with a wave of momentum behind him.
The Gaborone meet holds a special place in his career, he broke the meeting record in 2023 with 19.87 seconds before slashing his personal best to a staggering 19.50 just months later. But 2024 has been his true breakout year.
Tebogo clinched Olympic gold in Paris with an African record of 19.46, cementing his legacy as a sprint powerhouse, and added a 4x400m silver to his collection, registering one of the fastest relay splits in history with 43.04 seconds.
This early in the season, Letsile Tebogo aims to win in front of a home crowd before the World Championships. He faces strong competition, including Olympic teammate Collen Kebinatshipi, South Africa’s Luxolo Adams (PB 19.82), and Jamaica’s Tyquendo Tracey.
The men’s 100m race features Akani Simbine, recently medaled at the World Indoor Championships, against Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala. They’ll be joined by sub-10 sprinter Benjamin Richardson, making the sprint showdowns must-watch events.
Middle-distance rivalries also take center stage. Local star Tshepiso Masalela faces South Africa’s Tshepo Tshite in the 800m, following their exciting 1500m race in Cape Town. Masalela, who owns a national 800m record of 1:42.82, has the home-crowd advantage.
In the women’s 800m, Kenya’s Sarah Moraa, world U20 and African champion, faces Naomi Korir in a tactical battle.
The event’s global appeal includes shot put, where Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri seeks to reclaim dominance after a tough indoor season. Fabbri, Italy’s record holder at 22.98m, faces compatriot Zane Weir while aiming to surpass his 21.32m Gaborone meet record.
In the women’s javelin, Jo-Ane Van Dyk headlines the competition. The Olympic silver medallist aims to exceed her 60.17m season best while preparing for major competitions later this year.
Meanwhile, the long jump pits world indoor champion Claire Bryant against fellow American Quanesha Burks in the women’s division. The men’s long jump features Luvo Manyonga, Ruswahl Samaai, Marquis Dendy, and 8.30m South African standout Jovan van Vuuren.