Letsile Tebogo put Botswana on the global map after defeating gold medal favourite Noah Lyles of the United States in the men’s 200m final race at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The Motswana sprinter finished the race in an African record time of 19.46 seconds, which bettered America’s Kenneth Bednarek, who claimed the second position in 19.62 seconds to win silver.
Lyles, who won the 100m gold in a thrilling race decided by a photo finish, could only place third in the men’s 200m final after crossing the line in 19.70 seconds.
After winning the race 21-year-old Tebogo dedicated the Olympic gold medal to his late mother, Seratiwa, who passed away earlier this year in May.
But even before winning the race, Tebogo also caught the eyes of Chelsea and football fans when he hit Cole Palmer’s cold celebration. Palmer always pulls off the ‘shiver’ or ‘cold’ pose to celebrate his goals, which earned him the nickname ‘Cold Palmer’.
Tebogo was also celebrated by English Premier League giants Chelsea as they responded to a video of him hitting Palmer’s celebration. The Blues posted pictures of the Motswana sprinter donning the club’s jersey on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle.