Letsile Tebogo lists one condition he needs fulfilled before adding 400m to his repertoire

Letsile Tebogo lists one condition he needs fulfilled before adding 400m to his repertoire

Mark Kinyanjui 06:30 - 23.08.2024

Tebogo helped Botswana clinch silver in the 4 by 400m relay at the Olympic games, but has yet to officially compete in an individual 400m event at a major championship.

Botswana's sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo has outlined the conditions he must meet before making a full transition to the 400m event in the future. 

Tebogo, who played a pivotal role in securing a silver medal for Botswana in the 4x400m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has revealed the plan set by his coach, Kebonyemodisa Mosimanyane, for his career progression.

In Paris, Tebogo anchored the Botswana relay team in a thrilling final, where they narrowly missed out on gold to the USA, led by 400m hurdles Olympic champion Rai Benjamin. 

Tebogo also captured gold in the 200m final, holding off fierce competition from American sprinters Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek, sending his country into a frenzy of celebration.

The 21-year-old sprinter is the reigning world record holder in the 300 meters, having set an astonishing time of 30.69 seconds at the Simbine Curro Classic Shoot-Out in Pretoria, South Africa, in February.

 With his impressive speed from the 100 meters and the speed endurance gained from his experience in the 200 and 300 meters, many expect Tebogo to eventually transition to the 400 meters.

However, Tebogo disclosed the conditions set by his coach that must be met before he fully commits to the 400m event. 

"We talked through with the coach about the possibility of running the 400 meters, but we agreed that, once I deliver gold in both the 200 and 100 meters, that is when I will switch to the 400 meters," Tebogo told the media ahead of the Lausanne Diamond League classic.

With the 200m gold secured, Tebogo's focus now shifts to the 100 meters. "Since we got the 200 meter gold, now we will focus on the 100 meters. After 2028, that is when we will do one 400 meters in one of the championships," he added.

Tebogo's path to success in Paris was not without challenges. The young sprinter faced the heartbreaking loss of his mother in May, which deeply affected his season. 

Initially, he had planned to skip the 100 meters at the Olympics, but he ultimately decided to compete. Tebogo finished sixth in the 100m final with a time of 9.86 seconds, one of the fastest finals in Olympic history.

"After my mum passed away, we just had to see the 200 through and planned to just leave the 100 out. We had the African championships in Cameroon, so we wanted to gauge ourselves there. Unfortunately, it did not happen how we wanted," Tebogo explained.

"It was a last-minute decision, but we trained mostly on the 200m for the Olympics because we saw the potential, but we only added the 100m for the fun of it and making sure the body kept running and getting the fast times. The main focus was the 200 meters after the disaster that we had."

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