“I’m so proud that he put Africa on the map. It’s Africa before Botswana, so we are really thrilled,” said Seratiwa Tebogo, Letsile Tebogo’s mother. Just before he could display his prowess on the most grandeur stage that sports can offer, tragedy struck in May 2024. Seratiwa Tebogo’s passing devastated Letsile beyond belief. The immeasurable sorrow of his mother’s absence gave Letsile a new purpose to run for – “The main goal for me at the Olympics is running in the name of my mom. That’s where the dedication comes in.” That dedication paid off in the form of gold in the 200m.

DLA Piper recently shared a video featuring Tebogo, wherein he addressed the kind of support his teammates, Lee Eppie, Bayapo Ndori, and Busang Kebinatshipi, provided him following his mother’s passing. The video began with the Botswana sprinter pointing out the troubled beginnings of his athletics career. It was a time when he didn’t have much training gear. But his community and family contributed in every possible way.

He had to stay away from his family, focusing on his training away from Botswana. But it all became fuzzy when the news of his mother’s death hit. As a single mother, she had to endure a lot while raising Tebogo and turning him into the star he is today. Tebogo reflected, “The first challenge that we overcome was the death of my mum. My mum was everything for us. She was the backbone of everything and made sure that we don’t go to sleep hungry.” 

With a hint of pain in his eyes, Letsile Tebogo said, “They would come home, pick me up, and ask me to just go and watch them training. And then that’s when discipline comes in, and then you just make sure you just show up.” That support is what shaped Tebogo’s track and field career. Of course, it’s all about teamwork.

When everyone shows up on the track for training, they’re no longer individuals, as per the Olympian. And as teammates, they help each other take one step at a time. That’s what helped Tebogo win more than gold, even a silver at the 4x400m at the 2024 Olympics. But there was one more factor that came into play for Tebogo. And that was all about his shoes. 

How did his spikes help Letsile Tebogo secure a win at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

After winning the 200m dash at the Paris Olympics, Tebogo’s thoughts sprinted back to his late mother. He became the first African to win the event, running the distance in 19.46s, beating Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles. It was also Botswana’s first Olympic gold medal, which helped Tebogo become the fifth-fastest man in history over 200m. But here’s the catch… He ran the race wearing spikes that had his mother’s date of birth. 

Talking to the reporters, Letsile Tebogo said, “It’s basically me carrying her through every stride that I take. Me, to take her, it gives me a lot of motivation. I didn’t want to put the date of her death, because I’ll get emotional.” He admitted that he had spent almost a month in pure grief. The loss took a pretty heavy toll on the athlete. He claimed, “For me, I have to find the reason why I started my athletics journey and why I should continue going on. (If she were here) I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet because she believed in me when I doubted myself.”

But it was his values, along with his teammates’ support, that kept him going. As an Olympic star, his reach influences children across the globe. Even ones who are less privileged and cannot engage in sports because of their unfathomable situations take inspiration from Tebogo’s story. And that quickly became his motto in the struggle to the top of the world. He once said, “To offer them hope is important.” Carrying his mother’s memory with every stride, he now runs not just for victory, but to inspire others to find hope through perseverance.