Letsile Tebogo became the first African to win the men’s 200m gold on Thursday in a commanding win over the favorite Noah Lyles.
He also brought Botswana it’s first Olympic gold medal.
Tebogo crossed the finish in 19.46 and was boosted by a strong surge late in the race. American Bednarek won the silver in 19.62 while his teammate Lyles take the bronze again in 19.67.
Lyles was carted from the track and told NBC’s Lewis Johnson that he positive for Covid on Tuesday but still wanted to run — days after a stunning win in the 100m final.
“I woke up early, about 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning, and I was feeling really horrible and I knew it was more than just being sore from the 100, you know,” Lyles said. “Woke up, went to the doctors and we tested and unfortunately, it came up that I was positive for Covid.”
Tebogo, 21, has dealt with major adversity on the road to Paris.
His mother Elizabeth Seratiwa who passed away from breast cancer in May and he has dedicated his performances to her memory, with none bigger than his gold medal performance on Thursday.
“I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet,” he said. “Because she believed in me and I had so much doubt for myself.”
Tebogo knew he was able to quiet the hype around Lyles as the favorite and let his work on the track speak for itself.
“I knew Kenny was going to run away so made sure just to close him down,” he said. “I have that top-end speed that will allow me to finish the race without getting tired, so that’s what I did, and when I saw Kenny fade I knew Noah was far, far away behind us so that means I’m the Olympic champion.”
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