In a historic moment at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday night, Letsile Tebogo, a 20-year-old sprinter from Botswana, etched his name in the record books.
Tebogo became the first African athlete to secure a medal in the men’s 100m event. Displaying his remarkable prowess, Tebogo clinched the silver medal with a remarkable National Record time of 9.88 seconds.
The event witnessed a charged atmosphere with a capacity crowd of 40,000 at the National Athletics Centre.
Although the event was anticipated to showcase a showdown between Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles, the 2022 champion’s absence in the final opened the door to numerous possibilities for all participants, including Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala, who was also in contention.
Ultimately, it was Noah Lyles who emerged triumphant, claiming victory with a new world-leading time of 9.83 seconds.
Tebogo’s signature strong finish nearly allowed him to catch up with the American sprinter as they crossed the finish line. Securing the bronze medal was Zharnel Hughes of Britain.