As the athletics fanatics come off an exciting episode at the Paris Olympics 2024, it’s time to gear up for the next season! The Diamond League is around the corner. And the anticipation around the same time is palpable. What adds another layer of enthrallment is definitely the fact that most of these athletes are in peak form coming off Paris!

One of the most anticipated tracks is hands-down the men’s 100m track! The world is paying close attention to all the sprinters who left their mark in Paris. One of them is none other than Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo. The stage is set for a high-octane race, as Litsile Tebogo gears up for Lausanne.

“I’m a sprinter,” says Tebogo as he prepares for Lausanne

The Lausanne Diamond League meeting will be where the world will see Tebogo lock horns with sprinting legends. Tebogo is in peak form, to say the least. He is coming off a Gold in the 200m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But Tebogo, instead of basking in the glory of his wins, is also riding the wave of his 4x400m relay silver. “It’s something that was already planned, looking at what we did in the Bahamas, you know. It’s something that was already planned… the US robbed our gold medal; we still won that gold medal,” Tebogo says so, because both Team US and Team Botswana had the same finish time of 2:54. But due to a difference of 0:00:10, the US took the gold.

But this has not broken the spirits! Tebego, exuding confidence, went on to add, “I had the strength to chase Rai (Benjamin) because he’s a 400 m hurdler; I’m a sprinter. So I had that 200m strength, and then the last 200 I’ll just find somewhere to get it from.” This sprinting journey, however, is far from over. Wrapping up, Tebogo said, “It was really amazing for them (the Botswana team) to improve from the bronze in Tokyo to the silver, and hopefully by 2028 we’ll get that gold medal.”

Is Tebogo’s speed enough to reach the goal?

As Tebogo’s quest for gold continues, let’s take a look at the sprinters he will be facing. Tebogo will be facing some of the fastest sprinters in the Diamond League. On the 100m track, he will be facing Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson and American sprinter Fred Kerley. Thompson’s coming off his silver in 100m from Paris brings a whole new layer of competition to the tracks.

Thompson lost the gold to Noah Lyles by a mere five-thousandths of a second! This was also one of the closest Olympic 100m finishes. On the other hand, Kerley, with his unique ability to excel in the 100m, 200m, and 400m, is hands down one of the most versatile sprinters. With a personal best of 9.76 seconds in the 100m, he is one of the top sprinters globally.

But Tebogo is not far behind! He beat Lyles and British sprinter Kenny Bednarek at the Paris Olympics to take gold in the 200m. Tobago has a list of laurels to his name, including the 2022 World U20 Championships, where he cloaked 9.94 seconds in the 100m. He went on to follow this up with the 2023 African Championships, where he won gold in both the 100m and 200m. The upcoming race is going to be a thrilling one, and the world has its eyes on Tebogo.