'It's Over for Athletics' - Letsile Tebogo Gets Raw on Darkest Thought After Losing Mother Seratiwa

Letsile Tebogo reflected on the loss of his mother, Seratiwa, admitting that his first thought was to walk away from the sport.

The 2024 season was without a doubt the toughest for the reigning Olympic 200m champion, who was gearing up for the Paris Olympic Games.

The news of his mother’s demise came after he had just finished second in the men’s 100m at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix.

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Letsile Tebogo stepped away for over a month to reflect on his future and reconsider his career, knowing he would have to move forward without one of his biggest supporters by his side.

Letsile Tebogo, in a documentary released by World Athletics, revealed that he struggled to come to terms with the loss.

“First of all, I felt like it's over for me. It's over for athletics. Just need to hand in the boots and everything. Just see where to next, because I didn't have the confidence to go out there and do what I have to do,” Letsile Tebogo revealed.

The world 100m silver medallist admitted he had little desire to train, spending most of his days confined to his room.

It was only after a visit from his teammates, who urged him to come to the stadium, even if just to watch, that he realised it was time to return.

In that moment, Letsile Tebogo understood that athletics had given him both identity and joy, and he was not ready to let it slip away.

“I remember I stayed more than three weeks doing nothing, just at 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.’,” he revealed.

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

Letsile Tebogo used that pain to make a mark at the Paris Olympic Games, becoming the first African to win a gold medal in the men’s 200m in the history of the Olympic Games.

He beat a strong field, including triple world champion Noah Lyles, and two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, among other competitors.

While winning the 200m, Letsile Tebogo also clocked an African record time, timing 19.46 seconds to cross the finish line. He went ahead to anchor Botswana’s men’s 4x400m relay team to a silver medal behind the US.

Letsile Tebogo maintained a Diamond League winning streak before rounding up his 2024 season with a second-place finish in the 200m in 19.80 seconds at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.

This season, he heads to the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, looking to compete in the 100m and 200m and go one place better in each event. He has been impressive since the start of the season, and things are looking up ahead of the global showpiece.