Botswana Warmly Welcomes Sports Team Back After Historic Success at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On August 13, the people of Botswana held a proud and excited welcome ceremony at the capital Gaborone airport, to honor the brilliant success of the country’s sports team at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Thousands of people gathered here, immersing themselves in the blue, white and black waves of the national flag, creating a beautiful scene. Hero Letsile Tebogo, who brought home the historic gold medal, received a warm welcome from the people. President Mokgweetsi Masisi not only expressed his joy with a vibrant dance on the runway but also announced that the entire nation would be allowed to take a half-day off to join in the celebration of the victory.
Speaking to over 20,000 people at the welcoming ceremony for the Botswana delegation at the national stadium in Gaborone, President Masisi emphasized: “Tebogo has made history, not only for Botswana, but also for Africa.”
Letsile Tebogo at the 2024 Paris Olympics – IMAGO/SIPA
At the 2024 Olympics just held in Paris (France), this 21-year-old athlete became the first African athlete to win the men’s 200m race at the Olympics, with a time of 19.46 seconds, setting an African record. In addition to this gold medal, Letsile Tebogo also contributed to bringing home a silver medal for Botswana sports in the men’s 4x400m relay, thereby bringing the country’s total number of Olympic medals to 4.
According to the Botswana Ministry of Sports, the government will award Letsile Tebogo 2 houses for his achievements at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, the remaining members of Botswana’s relay team will each receive a house.
Sharing at the welcoming ceremony at the stadium, Letsile Tebogo was full of emotion: “This is a happy moment. I want to thank the whole country for supporting me”.
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo shows off his shoe, which has his late mother’s birth date engraved on the side, after he won the men’s 200 metres final at the Paris Olympics. – AFP-JIJI
The image of Letsile Tebogo when he finished the 200m event in Paris last week also moved many viewers. He held up a pair of running shoes with his mother’s recently deceased birthday printed on them in front of the camera, to send his gratitude to her – the person who inspired and motivated him in life.
Hero Letsile Tebogo. – Bleacherreport.com
Tebogo created a historical milestone when he became the second African athlete to win an Olympic medal in the men’s 200m event, following the achievement of Frankie Fredericks from the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Botswana sports, after the first success with Nijel Amos’s silver medal in the 800m event at the London Olympics 2012 and the bronze medal of the men’s 4x400m relay team at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, continued to make a strong impression. Tebogo’s success helped bring Africa’s medal tally at the 2024 Paris Olympics to 39, marking an increase of two medals from the previous Games.
