Letsile Tebogo has shared what he thinks of Noah Lyles after beating him to Olympic gold in Paris.
The Botswana sprinter claimed the 200 meters gold over bronze medallist Lyles who was dubbed the favourite after winning gold in the 100m final, becoming the world’s fastest man.
The Team USA star was hoping to become the first man since Usain Bolt to win both Olympic sprint titles.
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However, he later revealed that he was suffering from Covid after testing ‘positive around 5am on Tuesday morning’.
Noah Lyles finished in third place in the men’s 200m final. (Fu Tian/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The 27-year-old American said: “Woke up in the middle of the night feeling chills, aching, sore throat and those were a lot of the symptoms I’ve always had right before getting Covid.
“We tested it and it came back positive so we quickly quarantined in a hotel near the village and get me on as much medication as we legally could to make sure that my body was able to keep the momentum going.
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“I still wanted to run, we decided it was still possible, so we just stayed away from everybody and tried to take it round by round. I knew if I wanted to come out here and win I would have to give everything I’ve had from the get-go.
“I didn’t have any time to save energy. That was the strategy.
“It definitely affected my performance. I am more proud of myself than anything. Coming out and getting the bronze medal with Covid.”
Though after the race at the Stade de France, Tebogo did not hold back when he was asked about Lyles, telling the media what he really thought about him.
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The pair rejoiced after the race. (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
He said that because he’s not as ‘loud or arrogant’ as Lyles, he could never be the face of the sprinting game.
Lyles has perhaps been accused of rubbing people up the wrong way after his rant on the state of American sports, saying: “I love the US at times. But that ain’t the world. That is not the world – we are the world.”
Meanwhile, Tebogo dedicated his country’s first-ever Olympic gold to his mother Elizabeth Seratiwa, who passed away last May.
“I believe she could be one of the happiest people on the planet,” he said.
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“Because she believed in me and I had so much doubt for myself.
“It means a lot to the African continent because now they see Africa as a sprinting home.
“So we just had to make sure that the message is loud and clear.
“It didn’t take so long, they were just waiting for me to step up.”
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Team USA’s Kenneth Bednarek took home the silver in the men’s 200m final.
Featured Image Credit: Fu Tian/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images/Michael Steele/Getty Images
Topics: Sport, Olympics
