Built for Speed: The Letsile Tebogo Story

From Gaborone to Olympic gold, Letsile Tebogo’s journey is one of raw talent, fearless ambition, and unshakable spirit.

Victories and world records from a young age marked his path, and through triumph and loss, he only ran faster. Now, with the world watching, his eyes turn to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.

Released today on World Athletics+, an exclusive two-part documentary tells the story of a sprinter who continues to carry the hopes of his nation, proving that speed is more than just a number – it’s who he is.

“The Olympic gold, it means a lot to the country, it means a lot to the African continent, because Africa is no longer known for the long distance races. It is known for the short sprints now, which was the initial goal when I came into athletics,” says Tebogo, who won the Olympic 200m title in Paris last year.

“Without sports in my life, I don’t even want to think where I would be. The neighbourhood that I was growing in was very, very dangerous. I’m happy sport came in because there are a lot of youngsters who I know now are behind bars. Those are the same people that I used to hang around with.”

Tebogo enjoyed football and athletics as a child, but it was a certain Jamaican sprinter who helped inspire him to focus on track.

“By the time I did that transition (from football to athletics), Usain Bolt – he was the hottest thing in the sport,” says Tebogo. “Even though he retired in 2017, it went on up to 2019 when we came in, we still knew that nobody could beat him. I wanted to be like him.”

And Tebogo’s tremendous trajectory hasn’t escaped Bolt’s attention.

“Where to start with this kid?” says the eight-time Olympic champion. “I’ve seen him through the junior days, coming up and dominating and showing that he was going to be great in the seniors. And now he’s here and he won his first Olympic medal already at this young age, which is just outstanding. The talent is there, the confidence is there also, which is always important – going out there and competing at a high level.”

But it hasn’t been a smooth path to success. The death of Tebogo’s mother in 2024 made him question whether there was a future for him in athletics.

“First of all, I felt like it’s over for me. It’s over for athletics,” Tebogo recalls.

“I remember I stayed more than three weeks of doing nothing, just home sleeping. I didn’t have the motivation to even start training, up until one day my teammates came here, they fetched me: ‘Let us go, watch us train. Maybe something will click.’

“I went, I just stayed on the stands and watched. And I thought to myself, would she be happy if I left the sport?

“People wouldn’t know that I’m just an ordinary person. Only when I get on to the track, I become somebody different.”