LETSILE TEBOGO OFFICIALLY BREAKS THE WORLD U20 RECORD

BY: Katlego Mechidi

Every record set angers him, Letsile Tebogo does not want to see any records besides his, he has made breaking records his daily bread and continues to break them. His career has undergone a remarkable transformation in the past year and has demonstrated his ability to roll with the big boys.

• Letsile impresses with sterling performances after performances
• The teen star bows out of the Championship in the semis due to stumbling
• World Junior Championships is up next

Letsile Tebogo has broken the World Under 20 Record after a sterling performance in the first round of the men’s 100m at the World Athletics Championships held in Oregon,USA.

The 19-year-old was placed in heat five and clocked the world U20 leading time of 9.94s to stamp his authority in the athletics circle finishing ahead of Jamaica’s Yohan Blake and Canada’s Aaron Brown respectively to become the first Motswana to make the semifinal of 100m at the World Championships amid being slapped with a yellow card for arriving late in the call room.

LETSILE`S INITIAL RECORD WAS NOT RECTIFIED

The Lefika Athletics club star was breaking the 9.96 record he set in April during Gaborone International Meet which was rejected by the World Athletics due to the “No Zero-gun test” performed for the timing equipment.

This time around he showed the world his running prowess in 100m breaking the United State of America’s Trayvon Bromells’  U20 record of 9.97s which have been standing since 2014.

Letsile is the only second runner in history to break the 10s barrier in the under 20 age class, he was doing it for the second time in a space of two months.

Botswana is well known for being the best in 400m and Letsile is differing from the rest as he has made himself the king of short sprints where he makes history after history, he became the first Motswana ever to win a 100m event on a global stage.

HE HAS BEEN ON THE RISE SINCE 2021

Since last year, Tebogo has been consistently making waves setting a national U20 record of 10.39 in 100m which on the way lowered it to 10.24s before breaking the legendary Isaac Makwala’s national record of 10.20s which stood for seven years slicing it to 10.14s.

The Kanye-born sprinter continued to better his times at the World U20 Championships where he broke his own national record clocking 10.11s to maintain his unbeaten run.

This year he continued where he left last year shooting out of the blocks becoming unstoppable starting the season with a bang breaking his own 100m record and setting a new national record of 10.08s at the Botswana Athletics Association Track and Field series in February 2022.

The 19-year-old settled for position seven after finishing with a time of 10.17 in the semis following a minor stumbling at the start meaning that Letsile bows out of the Oregon 22 World Athletics Championship.

In an interview with the media recently,Letsile said he will use the championship to earn experience while preparing for the upcoming The 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships, also known as the World Junior Championships, which will be held from 2 to 7 August 2022 at the Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero in Cali, Colombia.

Letsile took on the big in the semis which was ultimately won by Oblique Seville, getting in ahead of Marvin Bracy to win in a time 9.90s. Bracy finished 2nd to take the last automatic spot in 9.93s ahead of Aaron Brown who was 3rd in an SB of 10.06s. Nigeria’s Favour Ashe was 4th, clocking 10.12s.

Below are the final standings as per World Athletics;

POS	BIB	ATHLETE	COUNTRY	MARK	ms*	Reaction Time
1	2389	Fred KERLEY	USA	9.86		0.119
2	2360	Marvin BRACY	USA	9.88	.874	0.118
3	2363	Trayvon BROMELL	USA	9.88	.876	0.110