Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo has weighed in on why he prefers running 200m as opposed to 100m.
Tebogo won gold in 200m at the Paris Olympics and has been formidable over the distance, winning all but two of his races, which he finished second.
The 21-year-old finished sixth in the 100m final at the Paris Olympics having won silver at the 2023 Word Championships and feels the 200m gives him a chance to get a foothold after a poor start as opposed to 100m.
“I would say my favourite is 200m because the 100m, I got a good start in Rome but why couldn’t I get it in the final [at the Olympics]?” Tebogo posed during his pre-race press conference ahead of Thursday’s Zurich Diamond League.
“That is why I don’t dwell much on the 100m. I just go there to get the momentum and speed and take it to the 200m because in the 200m, you could fix that mistake along the way and get to the line first.”
Tebogo says he has also perfected how to run at the bend after struggling at the World Championships where he won bronze in the 200m.
“Looking at what I did in Budapest, I did not have a great curve but now, it is something we started to build on and I’d say, it has been good so far and I am happy with how I am running the bend now,” he said.
“With the 100m, I just want to sit back and watch but at times, I just find myself around the line-up and I am like I have to do this one way or another because there is no time to run back. So, I make sure when I am on the line, I give it my best.”
Tebogo will continue running the 100m with his approach being to execute a good race as possible rather than going there confident of a victory.
“Like nobody expected me to win that silver medal in Budapest and that is how I approached this Olympics also. I was like they don’t count me in, let me just try my best and surprise everybody but unfortunately, it did not work but I am happy I was there when history was made [200m win],” said Tebogo.
“After my mum passed away, we just put all the focus on 200m because we knew the 100m we needed to get so much work to be done but with the 200m, we know that any medal is possible.”
