Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo clinched a stunning Olympic gold in the 200m, thwarting Noah Lyles’ bid for a sprint double at Paris 2024.
Tebogo, 21, surged ahead to set an African record of 19.46 seconds, finishing in front of American Kenneth Bednarek, who clocked in at 19.62 seconds.
Lyles, recently crowned the world’s fastest man by five-thousandths of a second in a historically quick 100m final, could not keep pace and matched his Tokyo bronze with a time of 19.70 seconds.
It was revealed post-race that Lyles had tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be assisted off the track in a wheelchair.
Before the race, Lyles, greeted by enthusiastic cheers, aimed to become the first man since Usain Bolt in 2016 to secure a 100m and 200m double at the Olympics. However, Tebogo had different plans.
A world bronze medallist in the 200m last year, Tebogo also earned 100m silver in Budapest as Lyles completed a golden treble. Tebogo’s impressive performance at his first senior global championship paled in comparison to his triumph at the Stade de France, where he secured his first Olympic gold.
Tebogo, who finished sixth in the Paris 100m final, entered the 200m with a personal best of 19.50 seconds, significantly slower than Lyles’ 19.31.
Showman Lyles, entering the race to great excitement, seemed poised for victory but remained third throughout following a slow start.
Bednarek matched his silver from three years ago in Tokyo – a medal he also won at the 2022 World Championships – but could not surpass Tebogo, who sprinted clear to win Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal.
Tebogo stars as illness wrecks Lyles’ hopes of history
Tebogo dedicated Olympic gold to his mother Seratiwa, who died in May of this year after a brief illness, and held up his spikes, displaying her date of birth, to the camera following his victory.
“It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field,” Tebogo said.
“To take her [with me], it gives me a lot of motivation. She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy.”
Having ended Lyles’ 26-race winning streak over the distance in the semi-finals, Tebogo firmly established himself on the global stage by repeating his victory over the man often considered Usain Bolt’s successor.
Entering the home straight with an advantage, Tebogo faced challenges from his rivals but surged away in the closing stages to secure an emotional and highly significant triumph.
Lyles, the fastest man over 200m this year and a three-time reigning world champion in the distance, brought his usual theatrics to the track before the race.
However, his performance in his favored event fell short of his world-beating standards, and it soon became clear why: news broke of the American’s illness.
Bolt, the fastest man in history and winner of eight Olympic gold medals, completed the sprint double at three successive Games in Beijing, London, and Rio, remaining the only man to achieve such a dominant streak.
Lyles had aimed for an extraordinary four golds in Paris, including the 4x100m and 4x400m relays. However, his participation in those finals now depends on his recovery and fitness.