‘I wanted to be like him’

FROM GABORONE to Olympic gold, Letsile Tebogo’s journey is one of raw talent, fearless ambition, and unshakeable spirit.

Victories and world records from a young age marked his path, and, through triumph and loss, he only ran faster. Now, with the world watching, his eyes turn to the World Athletics Championships Tokyo ‘25.

An exclusive two-part documentary, Built for Speed: The Letsile Tebogo Story, tells the story of a sprinter who continues to carry the hopes of his nation, proving that speed is more than just a number – it’s who he is.

The full 33-minute documentary is available now on World Athletics+.

The documentary is split into two episodes, ‘Start Line’ and ‘No Looking Back’, with the first episode also available now on YouTube. The second episode will be released on YouTube on September 10.

As well as in-depth interviews with Tebogo, as he reflects on his journey from young footballer and sprinter to world U20 champion and Olympic 200-metre champion, the documentary includes insight from Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt and Tebogo’s coach, Kebonyemodisa ‘Dose’ Mosimanyane.

“Where to start with this kid?” asks Bolt.

“The talent is there, the confidence is there also, which is always important – going out there and competing at a high level.

“He is going to be a great talent. No doubt, somebody that I know is going to go a long way.”

After splitting his time between football and athletics as a child, it was Bolt who helped inspire Tebogo to focus on track.

“By the time I did that transition (from football to athletics), Usain Bolt – he was the hottest thing in the sport,” says Tebogo. “Even though he retired in 2017, it went on up to 2019 when we came in, we still knew that nobody could beat him. I wanted to be like him.”

But it hasn’t been a smooth path to success. The death of Tebogo’s mother in 2024 made him question whether there was a future for him in athletics.

“First of all, I felt like it’s over for me. It’s over for athletics,” Tebogo recalls.

“I remember I stayed more than three weeks of doing nothing, just home sleeping. I didn’t have the motivation to even start training, up until one day my teammates came here, they fetched me: ‘Let us go, watch us train. Maybe something will click.’

“I went, I just stayed in the stands and watched. And I thought to myself, would she be happy if I left the sport?

“People wouldn’t know that I’m just an ordinary person. Only when I get on to the track I become somebody different.”

World Athletics