“I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or a loud person like Noah [Lyles].” Letsile Tebogo has often maintained a humble demeanor in front of the camera. From the time he won the 200m at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Motswana gold medalist, to the Tokyo World Championships, where he came in fourth in 19.65 seconds, Tebogo has always showcased his calm self. However, Noah Lyles isn’t really convinced by his rival’s behavior. After conquering his fourth consecutive 200m gold medal at the World Championships, Lyles sent a quirky message to the Motswana. 

In a post-race interview with Fentuo Tokyo, ‘Nojo18’ spoke about Tebogo, “I would say, be yourself, man. Like, I watched you in World Youth when you won the 100m. But I see you wanna showboat, man. Just do it! It’s you! Do the antics, put on the crown.” He asked the 22-year-old sprinter not to be scared of how people perceive him. If people think he’s not humble, he should simply let them think so. Lyles further added, “Be yourself. It also makes you so much more fun to compete against as an athlete.” 

It’s not like Noah Lyles doesn’t know about the dangers of being an active figure for the media. He claimed, “There’s always gonna be a target on your back. It comes with the job.” But as someone who has around 5 more years of experience as a professional athlete, Lyles comments act as advice for Letsile Tebogo. He continued, “So, I would truly love to just see that. I would love to see somebody else who knows that they have the character, the charisma, all of that. He has it. But so many times I see him like give an adult version of this. And I feel like he’s holding back because of how other people might perceive him. Stop it! Just be you!” 

Lyles managed to finish the race in just 19.52 seconds. Meanwhile, Tebogo missed the chance to get to the podium by a mere 0.01 second (Bryan Levell finished third at 19.64 seconds). Unlike the semifinals, Tebogo wasn’t placed in the outermost lane and got the lane that he seemingly wanted. Yet, it was the American who reigned over him and crushed his confidence. 

But defeat is not the real reason why Tebogo doesn’t outshine Noah Lyles in the media. The answer lies in how he perceives the additional attention and pressure. 

Why does Letsile Tebogo refuse to be the face of athletics like Noah Lyles?

Prior to his brash battle with the 200m champion in the 2025 World Championships finale, Tebogo opened up on the difference in their personalities. He stated, “I’m one person who always shies away from the media, but the sport forces me to step up, up my game into becoming a sports personality.” According to him, it’s the performance that the fans want to see. And that’s what should be in the spotlight. He claimed, “For me, I choose off the spotlight and then just my legs do the talking.”

But there’s one more deeper reason behind his humbleness on camera. Needless to say, Tebogo received a shipload of attention following his 2024 Olympics win. He even felt as if he were a hero. However, he wasn’t really a fan of the pressure that fame brings. Tebogo said, “Once you invite pressure inside yourself, then it means you are not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for the people. Yes, you should do it for the people but it’s you first and then the people later. Once you put pressure inside yourself, it means you have done something wrong.” 

But what do you think? Can Letsile Tebogo dethrone Noah Lyles in the future if he takes up a more arrogant approach on camera? Drop down to the comments below and keep the conversation flowing.