New record for teenage sensation Letsile Tebogo

Botswana’s sprint sensation and world 100m silver medalist Letsile Tebogo has smashed the world 300m best.

Competing at the Simbine Curro Classic in South Africa, Tebogo ran 30.71 seconds, bettering Wayde van Niekerk's mark of 30.81 from 2017.

Before that, the world best stood to Michael Johnson with the 30.85 he clocked in 2000, also in Pretoria. The fourth athlete to have dipped under 31 seconds for the discipline is Usain Bolt with the 30.97 he ran in 2010.

Tebogo dominated the race on Saturday, blasting from the blocks to create a clear lead by the bend. From there he continued to cruise, increasing his advantage even further down the home straight.

The double world medalist won by more than a second ahead of Gardeo Isaacs (31.91), while Bayapo Ndori was third in 31.95.

His record-breaking feat marks the start of a season that will see the 20-year-old head to the Paris Olympics as one of the favourites in both the 100m and 200m.

Tebogo gave the African continent its first-ever world medal in the men's 100m, track and field's premier race in Budapest, finishing behind Noah Lyles in a personal best time of 9.88 seconds.

His rise to world recognition did not start as a senior as Tebogo made his mark as a teenager, becoming double world junior champion in the 100m and double runner-up in the 200m in 2021 and 2022.

When he was still 18, he became only the second runner in history to break the ten-second barrier in the 100m before the age of twenty. A few months later, he broke the 20-second barrier in the 200 m.

Nevertheless, his world silver medal exceeded his expectations. "I'm proud to win this silver medal. This medal is a bonus for me. That wasn't the plan, the objective, it was just the final," admitted Tebogo after the world championships in Budapest.

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