Midas touch: Track phenom Tebogo transforms Olympic Solidarity grant into gold
From adversity to advocacy, Botswana’s first Olympic champion comes full circle
It's fair to say that, having gone from struggling to make ends meet to Olympic gold medallist in just a few short years, Botswana's Letsile Tebogo has made the most of his Olympic Solidarity scholarship.
When Tebogo first began receiving Olympic Solidarity funding in 2022, he was a teenage sprinter with all the talent and ambition to one day become a champion. What he lacked was the wherewithal.
On the track his star was rising. At 17, he won gold at the 2021 World U20 Championships, setting a U20 world record in the process. A year later he was crowned African champion, and the same year he defended his U20 World Championship title, became the first Botswanan to break the 10-second barrier (9.96) in the 100m, and lowered his U20 world record even further, this time to 9.91 seconds.
Off the track, however, he was barely getting by. It wasn’t until his Olympic Solidarity grant kicked in that his life took a dramatic turn for the better.
Since receiving it, everything has become easier, because as an athlete it allows you to channel all your focus on training … not worrying about what you are going to eat, what you are going to pay rent with.
His coach, Kebonyemodisa “Dose” Mosimanyane, added: “Letsile was able to eat well, sleep well because he had accommodation and could buy groceries. He could also get to training every day and on time because he didn’t struggle much with petrol money or transport.”
Importantly, the scholarship also allowed Tebogo to attend any competition in Botswana or internationally that his coach deemed necessary for his progression.
The results quickly followed:
- In 2023: bronze in the 200m and silver in the 100m at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest.
- In 2024: a national record (9.86) in the 100m and first place in the 200m at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 – an African record (19.46) and the first gold medal ever for Botswana.
Tebogo also claimed silver in the 4x400m at Paris 2024 alongside teammates Busang Kebinatshipi and fellow Olympic Solidarity scholarship-holders Bayapo Ndori and Anthony Pesela.
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Silver medalists Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, Bayapo Ndori, Anthony Pesela and Letsile Tebogo of Team Botswana celebrate following the Men's 4 x 400m Relay Final on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Team Botswana lost out on gold by one-hundredth of a second to Team USA, Tebogo making it possible with his relentless pursuit of Rai Benjamin over the final leg to set up a sensational finish.
Remarkably, the average age of the Botswana relay team was just 22 at Paris 2024, meaning there is likely plenty more in store from the group on the world’s biggest stages.
“With a team comprising young talents, it’s promising that in the future we still have more chances of dominating in athletics,” said Ndori. “The experience gained from Paris 2024 combined with the ongoing development and support lays a strong foundation for the future.”
The same can also be said for Botswanan athletes more generally. During the 2021-2024 period, the NOC of Botswana was a recipient of Olympic Solidarity funding as part of the Development of the National Sports Structure programme.
With the support, the NOC has set out to strengthen and align long-term athlete and coaching development systems in the country for the sport of athletics. The main aims are to increase the number of athletes and qualified coaches, raise awareness of and cooperation in delivering athletics, and improve the standard of active athletes through increased competition opportunities. The hope is that this can create a sustainable pathway for all these stakeholders.
Not surprisingly, these goals received a tremendous boost thanks to the performances of Tebogo and his teammates at Paris 2024.
“It helped a lot to unite the nation,” said Oabona Theetso, Athletics Team Manager for Botswana at Paris 2024. “It has inspired many athletes – they now see that it is possible. The number of athletes who register for our track and field series has increased significantly to a point where we are sometimes forced to [cap the number of competitors].”
Tebogo and his teammates are helping put the country on the map in other ways, too. In 2026, Botswana will become the first African nation to host the World Relays, while Tebogo, who was named World Athletics Athlete of the Year for 2024, will also take up the role of World Athletics’ global ambassador for Kids’ Athletics.
It’s a fitting honour, as Tebogo has been vocal in his commitment to helping others, especially those looking to follow in his footsteps.
“I believe in ‘blessed is the hand that gives’: the more you give out, the more you receive,” said Tebogo. “So for me, helping people is one of the things that’s on the top of my mind because I want to see the next Letsile, I want to see other athletes benefiting from Olympic Solidarity scholarships.”