06 Aug 2024

After cruising to the 200m semi-finals with a time of 20.10, Letsile Tebogo’s well-wishers and supporters cannot wait to see him in action today at the Paris Olympic Games.

The sprint sensation has one thing in mind; to qualify to the finals of the 200m, a race, which has always been his all time favourite. Coach Chilume Ntshwarang said Tebogo was ready for the semi-finals. He said they were happy that he finished the heat healthy despite being in the 100 metres final on Sunday. “The semi-final is going to be tough, because one way or the other we cannot avoid those strong athletes, and it means working very hard to proceed to the finals,” he said.

He, however, said since only two automatically qualify for the finals, one of the athletes would have to ‘bite the dust’, adding that there was no how they could miss to go to the finals. Sunday Standard sports editor Botlhale Koothopile said Batswana could expect Tebogo to finish on the podium. “Unlike the 100m race, this particular race suits him more,” he said.

However, he said standing between Tebogo and the podium finish were three athletes in the likes of Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton who were ranked ahead of him.

One thing to be wary off, he said unlike the 100m race, 200m was considered Lyles’ forte. He observed that Knighton was likely to pose a threat looking at the fact that he would be the freshest of the athletes in the event having not competed in the 100m, which the trio of Lyles, Bednarek and Tebogo competed in.

But, he was confident that he would proceed to the finals given that his performance in the heats showed an athlete who was brimming with confidence. Meanwhile Africa Senior championship, 400m hurdler champion Victor Ntweng bowed out of the Olympic games after finishing third with a time of 48.88 in the repechage heat. ENDS