By Letsile Tebogo of Botswana continued his meteoric rise in track and field with a commanding victory in the 100 meters at the Rome Diamond League meet on Friday. The 20-year-old sprinter clocked 9.87 seconds, demonstrating his versatility across sprint distances following his recent success at the Paris Olympics.
Tebogo’s performance in Rome was particularly notable as he had time to glance around before easing to the line, suggesting he could have run even faster. This victory follows his gold medal in the 200 meters and silver in the 4×400 meter relay at the Paris Games.
“I meditated before the race and it went how I wanted it to be,” Tebogo said after the race. “2024 was my year.”
The young Botswanan athlete outpaced a strong field, including American sprinters Christian Coleman, who finished second in 9.92 seconds, and Fred Kerley, who took third in 9.95 seconds. Tokyo Olympics champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy finished last in 10.20 seconds after pulling up to avoid injury.
Tebogo’s rise to prominence is a remarkable story. He began running barefoot in 2019, a common practice in poorer areas of Africa. “Seeing me win Olympic gold, a lot of people probably went and looked where Botswana is on the map,” he reflected, highlighting the impact of his success on his home country.
The Rome meet capped off a significant week for Tebogo, who met Pope Francis on Wednesday and showed him the spikes he wore during his Olympic victory. The shoes are inscribed with his late mother’s date of birth, a tribute to her memory after she passed away from breast cancer in May.
Tebogo’s performance in Rome marks his third Diamond League victory since the Olympics, having also won 200-meter races in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Chorzow, Poland, in the past nine days. These victories came after a celebration in his home country with Botswana’s president, underscoring the national pride in his achievements.
The Rome Diamond League meet also saw other notable performances. In the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Kenyan-born Bahrain runner Winfred Yavi nearly broke the world record, clocking 8:44.39, just 0.07 seconds off the mark set by Beatrice Chepkoech in 2016. Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent ran the fastest time this year in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, finishing in 12.24 seconds.
Three-time Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser secured his first Diamond League victory of the season with a meet-record throw of 22.49 meters. Faith Kipyegon, another three-time Olympic champion, dominated the women’s 1,500 meters in 3:52.89. Paris Olympic pole vault champion Nina Kennedy cleared 4.83 meters for her third Diamond League victory of the year.
As the track and field season progresses, Tebogo’s performances continue to captivate audiences and elevate Botswana’s profile in international athletics. His success across multiple sprint distances marks him as one of the sport’s most exciting young talents, with expectations high for his future competitions.
