Letsile back in Diamond League action this week
Sidelined by injury for close to six weeks, the golden boy of Botswana athletics, Letsile Tebogo returns to the track this weekend for the Diamond League’s Eugene leg.
The Olympic Champion, who turned 22 last month, will run in the 200m as he looks to build some much-needed momentum ahead of the World Championships in September.
The Kanye Kid has not tasted competitive action since 25 May, when he stumbled to last place in the 100m in Rabat, clocking a sluggish 10.43s to finish way behind eventual winner, Akani Simbine.
‘Schoolboy’ then opted out of the 200m; it was later revealed he had been struggling with a long-term niggle. Fully recovered and ready to test his body, Tebogo returns to an American city where he has fond memories.
It was in Eugene at the World Champs three years ago that Schoolboy broke the U/20 World Record, completing the 100m in 9.94s to become the fastest teenager of all time. The record stood for a year, broken by Suriname speedster, Isaam Asinga on 28 July 2023.
With his race scheduled for 11.23pm (Botswana time) on Saturday, Tebogo is up against a strong field that includes American pair, Kenneth Bednarek and Courtney Lindsey.
In his sole 200m Diamond League outing to date, at Doha on 16 May, Schoolboy finished first, piping Lindsey to the victory. With a win worth eight points, it puts Tebogo 5th in the standings; the top eight qualify for the grand final in Zurich, Switzerland at the end of August, meaning Tebogo is well-placed to progress.
Eugene is the 9th of 14 Diamond League meets in which athletes can garner the precious points needed to qualify for the lucrative finale, where over P650,000 (US$50,000) awaits the winners.
Although he will not run in the 100m this time, Tebogo still has a chance to make the final and currently sits 8th in the qualification list thanks largely to his 3rd place in Shanghai, China earlier in the season.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the ‘Prefontaine Classic’, as the Eugene event is known, takes place at the Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.
For Batswana, aside from Tebogo, interest lies with 800m runner, Tshepiso Masalela. The 26-year-old runs in the final race of the day, the Men’s Bowerman Mile (1.6km), which is set to start at 11:32pm (BW time).
