Table of Contents
- Letsile Tebogo is a sprinting prodigy from Botswana
- Sports saved him from a life of crime
- He grew up in rural Southern Botswana, where crime was the easiest way to earn a living
Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo says he would have been a hardcore criminal were it not for sports.
The 200m Olympic gold medalist credits sports to shaping his outlook on life. Growing up in Southern Botswana under the care of a single mother was a path to crime.
However, athletics and football gave him a new purpose in life. It was easier to conquer the rural hardships of Southern Botswana by running and playing football.
Tebogo made history by becoming the first athlete from Botswana to win an Olympic gold medal. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, he set a new 200m world record, beating global powerhouses such as Kenny Bednarek and American sprinter Noah Lyles.
Where Did Letsile Tebogo grow up?
Life wasn’t rosy for the 21-year-old. His rural neighbourhood in Southern Botswana was a den of criminals made up of young men of his age.
Crime was the easiest way to survive in the area, he says. However, his mother’s counsel to stay away from crime never left his mind. He chose football instead.
Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo. Photo/Canadian Running Magazine
Letsile Tebogo played as a left winger as a young boy in primary school. He would show up for training after classes, and by the time he went home, he would be very tired.
He recruited a few of his friends to his school team. They barely had time to think of crime like some of their peers.
Tebogo later ditched football for track events, but his friends remained in football and still play professional football in Botswana.
He is now an ambassador for Kids’ Athletics in collaboration with World Athletics. His past experiences in how sports keep children away from crime come in handy in the success of this programme.
Tebogoo is teaching young athletes that they can achieve anything in life as long as they believe in themselves. He teaches them the value of quality use of free time through sports.
What Happened to Letsile Tebogo’s Mother?
His mother, the late Seratiwa Tebogo passed on in May 2024 after a short illness. The Botswana athlete had just turned 20. Seratiwa was an athlete who inspired her son to follow his passion in track events.
Up until her death, she worked as a secretary in Botswana but never missed her son’s events at home and abroad. Their relationship was more of a sister and brother than it was about a son and mother.
The late Seratiwa Tebogo. She is Letsile Tebogo’s mother. Photo/TheVoice BW
In a past interview with BBC Sport Africa, she described the Olympic medalist as ‘hyperactive’ when he was a kid. She said that she still saw some hyperactivity in her son.
However, she loves it that fame and success have not eroded the respect and humility he always had as a child.
Seratiwa shared that her son loved junk food so much while growing up. However, he toned it down and now eats organic food to keep in proper shape for his sprints.
She constantly reminded him to give back to the community and remain humble. Seratiwa also advised Letsile Tebogo to have a fallback plan because athletic careers are short-lived.
She said that she always pushed for his education, although he was an average student academically. Her belief was that basic education would help him make better decisions in life and plan better.
How Rich is Letsile Tebogo?
The Botswana sprint prodigy is worth a little over $2 million, proceeds from his athletics career. His biggest athletic breakthrough was winning an Olympic gold medal in Paris.
He dedicated his highest success in his athletics career to his late mother, who died just months before the Olympics. It hurt him that she wasn’t in the stands to watch him win.
