Letsile Tebogo: What Botswana's sprint sensation eats that sets him apart from Noah Lyles

Botswana's Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo credits his success to a unique, tradition-rooted diet inspired by his late mother.

Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo has taken the world by storm not only with his blistering speed but also with his unique approach to nutrition which starkly contrasts with his American rivals like Noah Lyles.

While Lyles and other top sprinters may focus on carefully tailored, high-tech diets, Tebogo’s culinary choices reflect a deep connection to his roots and the simple, organic foods that have fueled his rise to the pinnacle of sprinting.

At just 20 years old, Tebogo made history as the first African to win the men’s Olympic 200 metres title, blazing past the American duo of Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles to claim Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal.

But behind the scenes of this incredible achievement lies a story of resilience, cultural pride, and a special diet that has sustained him through the challenges of his burgeoning career.

Tebogo’s mother, Seratiwa Tebogo, played a crucial role in shaping not only his character but also his dietary habits.

Before her untimely passing in May, Seratiwa revealed in an interview with the BBC that despite her son’s love for junk food, she ensured he maintained a diet rooted in the country’s staple foods, particularly mabele—a traditional sorghum porridge that is a mainstay in Botswana’s culinary heritage.

"He likes junk food, but because of the status that he's in, he has really reduced so much of it. He's mostly trained to go on our staple organic foods like mabele," Seratiwa shared.

This dietary choice, deeply ingrained in the Tebogo family’s lifestyle, stands in stark contrast to the high-protein, meticulously measured diets often favored by athletes in Western countries.

Sorghum, the key ingredient in mabele, is a nutrient-dense grain that provides sustained energy, a crucial factor for sprinters who need to maintain peak performance over short, intense bursts of speed.

This traditional food, combined with a disciplined reduction in junk food, has clearly paid off, as evidenced by Tebogo’s meteoric rise on the world stage.

Following his historic win, Tebogo’s emotional connection to his mother was on full display.

Draped in Botswana’s national flag, he removed one of his spikes and held it up to the camera, revealing his mother’s date of birth inscribed on the shoe—a poignant tribute to the woman who had been his guiding light.

“It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field,” Tebogo said, his voice filled with emotion.

“She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy. I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional.”

Tebogo’s win adds to his growing list of accolades, including a national record of 9.86 seconds in the 100m final, two world medals (100m silver and 200m bronze) from Budapest last year, and four medals from the World U20 Championships.

Yet beyond the medals and records it is his grounding in family and tradition that truly sets him apart.