02 Sep 2024

Letsile Tebogo’s electrifying 19.46-second sprint to win gold in the 200m race has done more than just secure a medal, it has also thrust Botswana into the global spotlight. 

Once relatively unknown and often overlooked in world affairs, Botswana is now catching the attention of international observers, thanks to Tebogo’s victory, which has highlighted the nation’s rich potential and sparked interest in its culture, history and achievements. 

Popular Kenya radio presenter, Benoit Cheruiyot’s new found admiration for Botswana demonstrates how Tebogo’s triumph has begun to reshape global perceptions by bringing Botswana into sharper focus on the world stage.

He says Tebogo made him learn a few things about Botswana, amongst them being that the country offers free healthcare and free primary education to all. Secondary and tertiary education is subsidised, with scholarships available. 

He says he has also learnt that the University of Botswana sponsors its academic staff who are citizens to pursue Masters and PhD programmes abroad at any universities of their choice, including prestigious institutions such as Oxford, Manchester, Imperial College, London School of Economics, Cambridge, MIT, Santa Barbara and others. 

Cheruiyot recently told his audience that Botswana had university student stipend and citizens do have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to many countries, including the United Kingdom. He said Diamond Production Botswana was the world’s second-largest producer of diamonds, which significantly contributes to the country’s economy. 

Furthermore, he noted that the Makgadikgadi Pans were some of the largest salt pans in the world. 

He also discovered the charm of Maun - the gateway to the breathtaking Okavango Delta and a vibrant blend of tradition and tourism. 

Tebogo, like a typical Motswana boy who is deep rooted into culture, also took advantage of the lime limelight shown on him by teaching some of the top athletes Tsutsube dance at the recent Silesia Diamond League. 

Playing Maxy’s song, Re Batswana, he took Swedish Mondo Duplantis, who was fresh from breaking the World Record, American Fred Kerley, who is also an Olympic 100m bronze medalist and 110 metres hurdles Olympic Champion Grant Holloway through the Tsutsube dance moves. 

Some of Batswana who commented on the video were of the view that Tebogo was a true Botswana ambassador, not only on the track, but also in selling the culture to the world. 

After watching the trending video, former boxer Lechedzani ‘Master’ Luza wrote on his Facebook page that: “The power of sports. Imagine how much following Letsile Tebogo has as an Olympic champion.”

Now people know our music and dance. The owner of this song is going to get some massive following as well. 

This can have a domino effect on the tourism sector. Massive respect Letsile, you’re doing a great job on and off the field. Ends