Daily Times

President Mokgweetsi Masisi gave Botswana the afternoon off on Friday to celebrate Letsile Tebogo, the country’s first Olympic gold medallist and the first African to be crowned 200-metre champion at a Games.

Masisi hailed the 21-year-old sprinter as “Botswana’s Sensation” after his outstanding performance on Thursday.

“Botswana’s finest sporting moment,” beamed the Mmegi newspaper after Tebogo produced a stunning run in the 200m to take gold, leaving pre-race favourite Noah Lyles trailing in third. Tebogo’s achievement will be “etched in the annals of the history of the republic”, the president said. The Olympic medal is Botswana’s third after Nijel Amos won silver in the 800m at the 2012 London Games and the men’s 4x400m relay team took bronze in Tokyo in 2020.