Letsile Tebogo seems to be slowly eclipsing Noah Lyles as the face of track and field following his exploits this season.
With the track and field season getting into its final month, the Botswana sensation is the sprinter who has enjoyed the most success in 2024, this despite the untimely death of his mother Seratiwa in May.
Tebogo has only lost one 200m race this season, a second place finish at the Kip Keino Classic in April, with Diamond League wins in Monaco, Lausanne and Silesia.
There is also the statement performance at the Paris Olympics when he stunned Lyles to win Olympics gold in a new African record, becoming Botswana’s first-ever Olympics champion.
He has not been as dominant in 100m, but still has been impressive, given second place at the LA Grand Prix, first place in Brescia, second in Hungary, third in London before sixth place at the Olympics final.
While he has admitted 100m is not his cup of tea, the manner in which he brought down the curtains on the Rome Diamond League suggested he’s got it.
Tebogo started celebrating 20m before the race ended as he went on to record 9.87, his fourth sub-10 of the season, to silence Americans Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley.
The 21-year-old is also adept at 400m and anchored Team Botswana to 4x400m relay silver at the Olympics and also smashed the 300m world record early in the year.
Tebogo claimed on Thursday that he’s not the face of athletics, saying he needs to be more consistent to edge out Lyles, but this season suggests he could soon knock the American off his perch and there are a number of reasons why.
Unlike Lyles, who some consider arrogant due to his outgoing nature and outspokenness, Tebogo is humble and chooses his words carefully.
He rarely makes big promises and prefers to do his talking on the track. After wins, he does not boast or taunt his rivals like Lyles and this style seems to be winning him many admirers.
In the same breadth, Tebogo does not go hard on his competitors, promising to “depress” them like Lyles does, which while good for sprints and the sport, is considered by some to be disrespectful.
Tebogo prefers to depress his rivals on the track instead and he’s done that effectively this season, Lyles getting a dose of his own medicine at the Olympics, where the Botswana sprinter stunned him in the 200m final.
He then shares his thoughts on the race but still, does not go hard on anyone, choosing to focus on himself, a trait that is becoming a hit among supporters and the media.
The other thing that Tebogo has an advantage over Lyes is that he is hitting top performances at a young age.
At 21, Tebogo is an Olympics champion and has silver and bronze from the World Championships while Lyes, although multiple word champion, won his first Olympics gold in Paris, at 27.
Lyles is already in his prime while Tebogo is bringing down giants in the formative years of his career which, to borrow Justin Gatlin’s words, is scary if you think about what he could do between the ages of 24 and 27 with more experience under his belt.
Tebogo’s victory in Rome also suggested that he is not afraid to entertain the fans which is a huge draw not just to supporters but sponsors.
It is what made Usain Bolt a global superstar and earned him millions of dollars and the Botswana sprinter showed glimpses on Friday.
The manner in which he started celebrating 20m before the finish line and posed for photos in celebration, pulling some stunts, was Bolt-esque.
Bolt was known for his trademark pose in which he leans back and gestures to the sky and Tebogo will be best advised to find his, now that he has started adding spice to his game.
