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Tebogo wins 200 metres for Botswana's first gold

Letsile Tebogo of Botswana celebrates with his national flag after winning gold in the Men's 200m Final at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on August 08, 2024


Photo credit: Kai Pfaffenbach | Reuters

What you need to know:

  • Bednarek chased him all the way to take a second successive silver in 19.62 seconds, with Lyles, hoping to become the first American to complete the sprint double since Carl Lewis 40 years ago, third in 19.67.
  • Immediately after the race, U.S. officials said Lyles had COVID and a yellow card appeared against his name in the official results.

Paris

Letsile Tebogo became the first African to win the Olympic 200 metres title on Thursday when he powered clear of American duo Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles in 19.46 seconds to claim Botswana's first Olympic gold medal.

Tebogo, who won bronze at the worlds last year and set a national record of 9.86 when finishing sixth in the Paris 100m final, produced a dominant run to become the fifth-fastest man in history over 200m.

Bednarek chased him all the way to take a second successive silver in 19.62 seconds, with Lyles, hoping to become the first American to complete the sprint double since Carl Lewis 40 years ago, third in 19.67.

Immediately after the race, U.S. officials said Lyles had Covid and a yellow card appeared against his name in the official results.