Letsile Tebogo wins 200m for Botswana's first gold

Letsile Tebogo has become the first African to win the Olympic 200m title
Letsile Tebogo wins 200m for Botswana's first gold

By Mitch Phillips

Letsile Tebogo became the first African to win the Olympic 200m title on Thursday when he powered clear of American duo Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles in 19.46 seconds to claim Botswana's first Olympic gold medal.

Tebogo, who won bronze at the world championships last year and set a national record of 9.86 when finishing sixth in the Paris 100m final, produced a dominant run to become the fifth-fastest man in history over 200m.

TOPSHOT-ATHLETICS-OLY-PARIS-2024
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo crosses the finish line to win the men's 200m final. Photo: AFP via Getty

Bednarek chased him all the way to take a second successive silver in 19.62 seconds, with Lyles, hoping to become the first American to complete the sprint double since Carl Lewis 40 years ago, third in 19.67.

Immediately after the race, US officials said Lyles had Covid and a yellow card appeared against his name in the official results.

More in this section

Mirra Andreeva wins French Open to deny Maja Chwalinska fairytale ending Mirra Andreeva wins French Open to deny Maja Chwalinska fairytale ending
Saturday Sport: Leinster hurling final, URC semi-finals Saturday Sport: Leinster hurling final, URC semi-finals
Kimi Antontelli fastest in Monaco Grand Prix final practice Kimi Antontelli fastest in Monaco Grand Prix final practice

Sponsored Content

Discover the heart and soul of Irish Whiskey at Midleton Distillery Experience Discover the heart and soul of Irish Whiskey at Midleton Distillery Experience
Aimee Connolly’s content room is pretty in pink Aimee Connolly’s content room is pretty in pink
Gas Networks Ireland, committed to conserving and enhancing biodiversity Gas Networks Ireland, committed to conserving and enhancing biodiversity
Contact Us Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited

Add Echolive.ie to your home screen - easy access to Cork news, views, sport and more