Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo made headlines by capturing the Olympic gold medal in the men’s 200m at the Paris 2024 Games, edging out American sprinter Noah Lyles, who was aiming for a double sprint victory.
Tebogo, 21, set a new African record with a time of 19.46 seconds. He outpaced American Kenneth Bednarek, who took silver with a time of 19.62 seconds. Lyles, who recently won the 100m title and was considered the world’s fastest man, finished third in 19.70 seconds, matching his bronze medal performance from Tokyo.
Post-race, it was disclosed that Lyles tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be assisted off the track in a wheelchair. Lyles had hoped to become the first man since Usain Bolt to win both the 100m and 200m at the Olympics.
Tebogo, who had previously won bronze in the 200m at last year’s World Championships and silver in the 100m in Budapest earlier this season, made an impressive Olympic debut. Despite finishing sixth in the Paris 100m final, Tebogo’s personal best of 19.50 seconds set the stage for his stunning victory.
The race began with much anticipation, with Lyles making a grand entrance but starting slowly, keeping him in third place throughout. Bednarek, a silver medalist in Tokyo and at the 2022 World Championships, maintained his position but couldn’t catch Tebogo, who crossed the finish line as the new Olympic champion.
