Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo shattered Noah Lyles‘ bid to earn an Olympic sprint double on August 8. Tebogo defeated the 100m champion in his backyard, the 200m sprint, clocking 19.46s, while Lyles fell to third with 19.70. However, just a couple of months ago, on May 19, Tebogo was nearly ready to give up on his track and field career after hearing of his mother’s demise.

“When I first heard the news, I thought my career was over. I started to find ways of forgetting about athletics,” Tebogo said during the post-event press conference. The news devastated the 21-year-old because Seratiwa Tebogo’s condition had improved before her untimely passing at 43. However, Tebogo’s team didn’t leave the sprinter’s side during his most vulnerable stage.

“The team that was around me – my coach, my teammates – they made sure that I took each and every day one step at a time,” he added. The World Championships silver medalist thought about giving up on his career because Seratiwa Tebogo had been his pillar of strength. The fact that news of his demise made it on the internet even before he got to know also affected Tebogo.

The Tebogo family’s spokesperson Ralph Kgabanyane described it as “disappointing and hurtful.” Seratiwa Tebogo always supported Letsile Tebogo and made it to every local meet to cheer for her son. Tebogo’s mother even surprised her son when she arrived in Budapest last year to see the track star become the first African to win a World Championships silver in 200m.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t witness her son become the first African to win 200m Olympic gold in Paris. However, the 21-year-old dedicated the historic victory to his late mother. Letsile Tebogo held up his bright orange Nikes to the camera after winning gold, showing off a sticker with his mother’s date of birth, 23.12.1980. However, Noah Lyles wasn’t silent in defeat and made a sensational claim after missing out on 200m gold.

Could a healthy Noah Lyles have beaten Letsile Tebogo?

After settling for bronze behind the African and fellow teammate Kenny Bednarek, the bronze medalist revealed that he ran despite being sick. Noah Lyles revealed that after his historic 100m display, he felt far more sore than usual. The team doctor took a look and a test revealed that he contracted COVID-19. However, the 26-year-old decided to run despite not being 100%.

So the question is, would Noah Lyles have beaten Letsile Tebogo if he was at 10%? While it’s impossible to predict what would’ve happened, a look at their past meetings gives us an idea. At last year’s world championship, Lyles won 200m gold with 19.52, while he ran 19.74 to win bronze in Tokyo. However, even his 19.53s season best at the U.S. Trails put him behind Tebogo’s 19.46.

Hence, it’s safe to say that even a perfectly healthy Noah Lyles would’ve found it hard to beat Tebogo in Paris. Meanwhile, from almost leaving the sport to being the Olympic champion, Letsile Tebogo came full circle in a matter of months.