Last year, Letsile Tebogo opened his season much earlier, in February, at the BAA Track and Field Series 2 in Gaborone, followed by wins in the 200 m at the Botswana Grand Prix and the 200 m at the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix. But this year, he will begin his season a bit later, in May, but even before stepping onto the track, Tebogo has taken an uncharacteristic stand.

According to recent news, Tebogo is set to start his year at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen on May 23. And the field is stacked: he will line up against reigning Diamond League 100 m champion Christian Coleman, World Championships silver medallist Kishane Thompson, US sprinters Kenny Bednarek and Trayvon Bromell, and South African stars Akani Simbine and Gift Leotlela, and more.

Known for his sharp pre-race banter, Letsile Tebogo has traded the talk for a pointed critique of the early-season setup. “No time to rest 😭😭😭🔥” shared Tebogo on X, hinting at the challenges from back-to-back competitions rather than targeting any rival.

Well, before Xiamen, Tebogo is expected to compete at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone (May 2-3). Later in the season, he is confirmed to headline the men’s 200 m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League in Eugene, Oregon, on July 4, 2026.

Even the full Diamond League series continues through early September, ending in the series final in Brussels on September 4-5, with exact races for Tebogo depending on points and invitations. If he qualifies, Tebogo is also likely to compete at the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September, as the reigning Olympic 200 m champion, he has automatic eligibility.

For Letsile Tebogo, these early months of 2026 mean back-to-back races across team and individual events, and while he is ready to compete, he recently reminded fans that he hasn’t lost his fire when it comes to rivalry.

Letsile Tebogo calls out Team USA after World Relays snub

Tebogo recently mocked Team USA after they withdrew from the men’s and women’s 4×400 m events at the 2026 World Relays in Botswana. Sharing on X, he wrote: “First, we took the 4×400 gold right out of their hands in Tokyo last year. Now, they’re unable to show up to the 2026 World Relays in our own backyard? 😹😹”

The tweet referenced Botswana’s historic victory over the USA at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where Tebogo and his teammates crossed the finish line in 2:57.76, narrowly ahead of the Americans at 2:57.83. It was the first instance where an African country had won the 4×400 meter relay of men at a world championship.

But it was a revenge for Team USA, as at the 2024 Olympics, Letsile Tebogo faced Rai Benjamin on the anchor leg. Benjamin ran 43.1 seconds to Tebogo’s 43.0, helping the U.S. claim gold in 2:54.43 just 0.1 seconds ahead of Botswana’s 2:54.53. So this year, Tebogo was clearly eager for another chance to beat the Americans in 2026.

But USA Track & Field won’t make it easy for him. Jay Holder, USATF Chief Content and Communications Officer, explained the withdrawal:

“It is difficult for us to find top-tier US athletes who want to go. A lot of our A-team athletes have expressed that they are not interested in competing in this event. Financial costs of sending B or even C teams to Botswana is really significant…”

The Americans are on the bench, so Letsile Tebogo is more than eager to protect the pride of Botswana. Will he succeed in his next race? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below.