Tebogo reflects on Paris 2024 Olympic gold: “That 19 seconds felt so peaceful.”
For Tebogo, his first Olympic Games were never meant to be about medals. Paris 2024 was supposed to be a learning experience—a chance to measure himself against the world’s best. “We went into these Olympics to learn and see how different we can work,” he explains.
But once he lined up for the 200m, everything clicked. He recalls the moment when he passed Noah Lyles in the semifinal, that this was more than a practice run. “I knew that all I need to do is take what I’ve done in the semifinal and transition it into the final. And make sure that I’m locked in and nothing disturbs me before the final.”
Tebogo recalls wishing he had left more time to warm up ahead of the race, but his coach’s final words stayed with him: “You are ready. You don’t know it, but you are ready.” Tebogo says, “I had doubts at first, but I just took his words and locked them in.”
In the final, everything unfolded as planned. At the start, he told himself, “If I don’t stumble, I can win this race.” He didn’t. On the bend, upon spotting Kenny Bednarek, he briefly questioned his pace, “Maybe I’m too slow.” but when he surged past, Tebogo knew no one could catch him. The newly-minted gold medallist pounded his chest in celebration on crossing the finish line; he describes the race with striking calm: “That 19 seconds felt so peaceful.”
Bolt, Tebogo’s childhood idol, spoke to his awe at what Tebogo had achieved: “I know a lot of people who would have ended the season. I had the opportunity to congratulate him. He’s going to go a long way, he’s going to win a lot of races and he’s going to dominate.”