Schoolboy stars in Pretoria
Teenage speedster, Letsile Tebogo hit the ground running in Pretoria on Saturday, starting his season in sensational style to win the 300m at the Simbine Curro Classic.
In what was his first ever 300m race on the international stage, up against an accomplished field, the 19-year-old cruised to victory in a time of 31.54s, the fastest anyone has covered the distance this year.
Indeed, locally only the great Isaac Makwala has finished the 300m quicker, the Badman’s recording his 31.44 national record in Czech Republic back in 2017.
It’s a record that could have been in danger had Tebogo not eased off in the final stages of the race.
Even then, he was still way ahead of South Africa’s Lythe Pillay in second place, the reigning U/20 World Champion clocking 32.08 to take silver.
In an exclusive interview with Voice Sport, Letsile’s coach, Kebonyemodisa Mosimanyane, revealed he was blown away by Schoolboys’ performance.
“Going into the race we had no expectation of winning. We didn’t train specifically for the 300 meters, but we completed it using the same strategy we always us for the 100m and 200m.
“The boy did a great job and I was quite impressed. Even the pace we take from now on will be that of an athlete getting ready for the big games, and he should be in great shape by August,” mused Mosimanyane, referring to the 2023 World Championships, set for Budapest, Hungary.
It will be the Kanye sprinter’s second appearance at the World Champs, having made his bow at last year’s edition in Oregon, America. After winning his 100m heat, Letsile crashed out in the semi-finals, finishing the race 7th to claim 16th position overall.
There are high hopes the two-time U/20 World Champion will improve on that this time around.
Speaking briefly to Voice Sport, the teen star admitted it was an extremely promising start to the season.
“I’m really thrilled to have won the race because this was my first race of the year and also my first time participating in the 300m race,” he said.