Letsile Tebogo lit up Hayward Field on July 5 at the Prefontaine Classic’s Diamond League meet. Running out of lane 7, the 21‑year‑old struck early, powering through the curve to lock onto leader Courtney Lindsey. In perfect conditions (+0.7 m/s), Tebogo exploded down the straight, crossing the line in 19.76 s—the fastest in the world this season—leaving Lindsey’s 19.87 behind and Alexander Ogando third in 19.94 s. But what the world thought was a dominant run, it only lasted days…

Enter T’Mars McCallum on July 12 at the Ed Murphey Classic. First, he clocked a wind‑assisted 9.87 s (+2.1 m/s) in the 100 m final. Then, roaring around the bend, he unleashed a legal 19.73 s (+1.8 m/s) in the 200 m, snatching the world‑leading mark from Botswana’s Olympic medalist. And the trouble does not end here for Tebogo.

On June 15, 2025, Letsile Tebogo lined up on the track in the Centro Gabre Gabric in Brescia. Purpose? To race in the men’s 100 meters at the Grand Prix Brescia. Competition? Lined up alongside him were Olympic gold medalist Jerome Blake, 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Yuki Koike, and others. The stadium witnessed a battle of Olympic gold medalists as Blake and Tebogo turned into speed demons on the track to fight for the win.

The Canadian and the Botswanan athlete went stride‑for‑stride under –0.1 m/s wind. Blake just edged Tebogo to win the men’s 100m at the Grand Prix Brescia in 10.06s (-0.1). Tebogo was 2nd in 10.07s, while Yuki Koike finished in 10.26s for 3rd place. Tebogo’s 2025 100 m season has been underwhelming. He opened with 10.55s at the Potch Invitational (Apr 16), then placed 7th in Xiamen with 10.20s. In Shanghai (May), he ran 9.98s but again missed the podium.

His lowest point came in Rabat (May 25), clocking 10.43s and finishing last before pulling out of the 200 m. Though his 200 meters were going great, the Olympic champion was undefeated until he met Noah Lyles for the first time since the Olympics.

Noah Lyles vs Letsile Tebogo now 3-2

Monaco Diamond League was electric: Noah Lyles, returning from injury and with questions around his form, was set to face off against Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo in Monaco, putting his streak at risk. Their head-to-head record stood at 2–2. Tebogo has beaten Lyles twice—first in the 200 m semifinal (19.96s) and then in the final (19.46s) at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Lyles has beaten Letsile Tebogo twice—first in the 200 m at the London Diamond League (19.47s vs 19.50s), then again at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest (19.52s vs 19.81s). At Stade Louis II, fans and pundits buzzed with one question: who would tip the head-to-head to 3–2? With both in stellar shape and the record perfectly tied, Monaco promised fireworks. Who won?

“Noah Lyles is BACK! 😤 #MonacoDL” tweeted NBC Sports Director of Social Media, Travis Miller, after the 200m race at the Monaco Diamond League on July 11. Noah Lyles clocked a time of 19.88 seconds, defeating (against the odds) reigning Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, who finished in 19.97 seconds. The London Diamond League is scheduled for July 19, 2025, at London Stadium, with both Lyles and Tebogo entered in the 100 m. Who are you rooting for? Share your thoughts in the comments.