2024 was the year when Letsile Tebogo really put the world on notice; there is a new contender for the best sprinter in the world. And who could argue against him? After all, it was Noah Lyles that he beat in the finals of the 200m at Paris to claim his first Gold. In the process, he became the first Motswana and the first African since 1996 to claim a gold medal. So when 2025 rolled in, we all thought it would be another year of domination. But that just didn’t happen. While Africa did shine, it wasn’t Letsile.

Don’t get it? Well, whether it be the Maurie Plant Meet earlier this year or the ASA Grand Prix, the gold medalist ended up in second place. But his bad luck didn’t improve as the Diamond League Xiamen and Keqiao would bring further questions to his name as he failed to even secure a top 5 finish in the former. Meanwhile, rival and fellow African Akani Simbine would be the one to best him in both races and claim back-to-back 100m titles. But while the disappointment was real, Letsile Tebogo has some strong words of comeback for his upcoming races.

So what did Tebogo have to say? Well, at the Wanda Diamond League conference in Doha, he made it clear that he is planning on winning come the next DL. In fact, he will be focusing on both the 100m and the 200m. He actually said, “So that’s the plan to keep flip-flopping between … but I believe right now we still have much time to work on both the events.”

This whole strategy is part of his goal to do even better than he did at the 2023 World Championships, where he got silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m. He’s set on improving, mentioning, “For Olympics, it wasn’t easy … We have to make sure to improve.” Now, deciding to run both events? It’s something sprinters do, but man, it takes serious planning, and your body has to be in top shape.

Tebogo’s coach and people who follow the sport really appreciate his ability to do both, but these recent losses just show how incredibly close things are at the elite level. The Wanda Diamond League is a huge deal for him—it’s this series of 15 major events. He needs to rack up points there to even make it to the final in Zurich on August 27th and 28th in 2025.

After racing the 100m at the Diamond League meetings in Xiamen and Shanghai, Tebogo will step back up to his favored distance in Doha. So, his next races in Doha on May 16th are going to be super important for him on this journey.

Tebogo gearing up for Doha challenge

Meanwhile, Letsile Tebogo is lined up to run his second 200m race of the year this Friday at the Diamond League meet in Doha! He’s been working on his speed and strength by focusing on the 100m and 400m events recently. Now he’s aiming to run under 20 seconds in this 200m, which, by the way, he did nine times in 2024! And his haul at Paris is what is fueling him for this.

After all, if he needs some inspiration, all he needs is for him to look at the same form that gave him a silver in the 100m and a gold in the 200m back in the city of love. He even said, looking back on last year and ahead to a long season, “Last year was tough, but I’m ready to push my limits.” But simple inspiration and hard work won’t be enough for him to get back in gear.

This Doha race is a big deal for him, especially since he’s up against some seriously good runners like Canada’s Aaron Brown, American sprinters Courtney Lindsey and Kyree King, and South Africa’s Shaun Maswanganyi. So, the big question is, will all that recent training translate into a dominant run for Tebogo in Doha? It’s going to be interesting to watch!