Imago
September 13, 2025, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan: LETSILE TEBOGO of Botswana wins in 10.07 in the Men 100m Round 1 Heat 5 at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan Shinjuku Japan – ZUMAc179 20250913_zep_c179_254 Copyright: xMickaelxChavetx
Imago
September 13, 2025, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan: LETSILE TEBOGO of Botswana wins in 10.07 in the Men 100m Round 1 Heat 5 at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan Shinjuku Japan – ZUMAc179 20250913_zep_c179_254 Copyright: xMickaelxChavetx
After starting the season with back‑to‑back wins, a lot was expected from Olympic 200 m champion Letsile Tebogo going into the Botswana Athletics Championships. But during the men’s 100 m heats in Gaborone, while he was testing the starting blocks, a slip saw him spin and crumple awkwardly onto the track, prompting medics to carry him off the infield and rule him out of the meet. However, four months later, he is back and sprinting again, drawing bold claims from inside his team.
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On April 11, 2026, the 22-year-old lit up the Road to Botswana Golden Grand Prix with a stunning 44.37 in the 400m, taking victory on home soil. That time rockets him to the top of the 2026 world standings, capping a journey that began with him ruling out a full switch to the event. It made Dose Mosimanyane, Tebogo’s coach, very pleased with the result.
“That kind of time shows the work is paying off,” Mosimanyane said in an interview on X. “Now we recover build from here.”
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It marks his best time in the discipline in 2026, having previously clocked in 45.93 in mid-March. Not only that, it is his second-best time ever, having previously registered 44.29 seconds in 2024 during the ASA Athletics Grand Prix.
He is, however, a 100 and 200m specialist, having spent most of his career racing in those disciplines, even winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 200m. Additionally, but Letsile Tebogo also won the 100m silver and the 200m bronze at the 2023 Budapest World Championships, but he has consistently run the 4x400m relay with Botswana, and is now targeting the 400m.
Kebonyemodisa “Dose” Mosimanyane has long been the quiet architect behind Letsile Tebogo’s sprinting rise, shaping one of the world’s fastest careers from the start. When Tebogo stormed to a 30.69 in the 300m at Pretoria on February 17, 2024, breaking the record on South African soil, it was another moment that underlined how tightly coach and athlete are wired together. He was named Coach of the Year in April 2025, building on earlier recognition that had already singled him out in April 2024.
After clocking 44.37 Letsile Tebogo had to cool off following the race.His coach Dose Mosimanyane, said he is happy with the performance & sees it as a strong marker early in the season.”That kind of time shows the work is paying off. Now we recover build from here” pic.twitter.com/sX2qmdgwsn
— No.1 Fan of Letsile Tebogo (@DiTlamZ) April 11, 2026
Their bond grew most when Letsile Tebogo battled a hamstring injury in September 2023, putting him out of contention during a rather successful season.
At the time, Dose stood by him, saying, “It had to be gradual so that the injury doesn’t recur because a hamstring injury is very difficult to deal with. Sometimes it gets to the athlete’s mind and may disturb them from running even if they are healed.”
Now that confidence is once again shining through. Their mission for the coming months is clear: sharpen Tebogo for the World Athletics Ultimate Championship and the World Athletics Relays. Tebogo himself was pleased, revealing that the 100m race in which he got injured was just a warm‑up, as they plan to run the 400m at nationals, and they needed to prepare for that.
“The plan was still to run because if we were going to run the four hundred in the nationals, we need to get into rhythm,” Tebogo said in an interview on X. “Yeah, competition for– to get ready for the four hundred meters. So we needed a race, the four hundred meters. We needed to race a hundred meters. So in the– more like November, but that race should happen now and then before, uh, the Grand Prix. So we see from there and the hundred didn’t quite work out, but the four hundred.”
Tebogo added, “So this year I’m around track, uh, we’ll take it to, to, to build to around two hundred maybe, and then, uh, be ready for, for the four hundred.”
The World Athletics Relay will come first, as it takes place from May 2 to 3 in Tebogo’s home country of Botswana. And all eyes will be on the hosts, especially as they enter the tournament as one of the favourites.
Letsile Tebogo reflects on the upcoming World Athletics Relays
That is especially after they pipped Team USA to the Olympic silver medal before winning the gold at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships in the 4x400m relays. Not only that, but they also won the 2024 World Relays gold medal in Nassau, which means they’ll be fighting to retain their title in the 2026 event.
And while there was concern for Tebogo after his fall at the Botswana Athletics Championships, the 22-year-old’s recent performance has brushed aside any concerns. But that might also be partly because for Letsile Tebogo, this race means more as it offers him and his 4x400m relay team the chance to inspire the future generation with their performance.
“It means a lot because they know we are inspiring a lot of kids in Botswana,” Tebogo told World Athletics.org. “Even the elderly trying to exercise, trying to keep healthy. That’s the most important thing about Botswana. We are going to continue to dominate the 4x400m for as long as possible.”
That mindset defines how they come together when it matters most, turning individual talent into a collective force. And it’s exactly that unity, Tebogo believes, that sets the tone every time they step onto the track together.
“Once we get into the team, it’s only one personality,” Tebogo added. “The teamwork that we have, the mentality that we have when we are going into the 4x400m – now it’s teamwork.
“We’re doing all this for the country, for everybody who’s watching, and in support of Botswana. It’s something that I’ll always look back on and cherish.”
For Mosimanyane, that same unity and drive that Letsile Tebogo spoke about is exactly what signals a return not just to fitness, but to form. And if that mentality continues to translate onto the track, his coach’s confidence may prove to be more than justified in the races ahead.
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Edited by
Firdows Matheen