Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo raced to victory in the 200m at the Paris 2024 Games wearing a deeply personal tribute to his late mother as he became the first Olympic gold medallist of his country.
The 21-year-old sprinter’s was the toast of Africa after winning the Paris 2024 Olympics 200 metres gold on Thursday but his immediate thoughts were much closer to home as he dedicated his victory to his mother who died in May.
He achieved that feat wearing shoes bore her mother’s birth date, a poignant gesture of remembrance and motivation that carried him to a historic win.
It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take,” Tebego told reporters. “Me, to take her, it gives me a lot of motivation.
“I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional. I took about a month without doing anything. It wasn’t really clicking for me that she’s really gone. For me, I have to find the reason why I started my athletics journey and why I should continue going on,” he said.
“(If she were here) I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet because she believed in me when I doubted myself,” he added.
The young athlete, who clocked 19.46 seconds to become the first African to win the event, lost his mother just months before his Olympic glory.
The personalised spikes served as both a source of strength and a silent dedication, embodying Tebogo’s determination to honour his mother’s memory on the world stage.
His victory not only marked a milestone for Botswana but also showcased the profound personal stories that often underpin success.
His achievement has brought immense joy to Botswana, prompting President Mokgweetsi Masisi to declare a half-day national holiday to celebrate the unprecedented glory. This marks the first time the country has taken such a step to honour a sporting triumph.
President Masisi announced that Friday afternoon, 9 August 2024, would be a public holiday, allowing citizens to revel in the nation’s first Olympic gold medal.
The president’s statement praised Tebogo’s feat as deserving of a unique national celebration, highlighting the significance of this moment in Botswana’s history.
The combination of Tebogo’s touching tribute to his mother and his historic win has resonated deeply across the nation, turning his personal triumph into a moment of collective pride for Botswana.
