Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo received a grand welcome from tens of thousands of people in a stadium in Botswana celebrating his gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. Tebogo took the gold and became the first African to win the men’s 200m when he zoomed past Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles of the USA in Paris on 8 August.
Letsile Tebogo also won the silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay after finishing behind the American quartet. Celebrating these historic medals, s upporters waved the country’s blue-and-black national flag as the Olympic team landed in the capital, Gaborone.
Tebogo gets grand welcome from thousands of Botswana fans
The athletes paraded the National Stadium on a rooftop bus with fans enjoying a half-day holiday declared by the president to celebrate Tebogo’s success. Traditional dancers wearing animal skins and beads were also present as a grand party started for their champion athletes.
After winning the 200m, Tebogo dedicated his gold medal to his mother Seratiwa, who passed away in May after a brief illness. He also held up his spikes which had his mother’s date of birth, to the camera, following his victory. Tebogo said, “It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field. To take her [with me], it gives me a lot of motivation. She’s watching up there, and she’s really, really happy.”