'I'm Disappointed' - Letsile Tebogo Reveals What Cost Him Victory Over Noah Lyles in Monaco

Noah Lyles defeated Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo at the Monaco Diamond League

'I'm Disappointed' - Letsile Tebogo Reveals What Cost Him Victory Over Noah Lyles in Monaco

Abigael Wafula 18:00 - 12.07.2025

Letsile Tebogo admitted he was disappointed after finishing second to Noah Lyles in Monaco, revealing what may have affected his performance.

Letsile Tebogo went into the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco on Friday night as a favourite to win the men’s 200m but was forced to finish second behind Noah Lyles.

The reigning Olympic 200m champion clocked 19.97 seconds behind reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles, who clocked a season's best time of 19.88. Zimbabwe’s Makanakaishe Charamba sealed the podium in 19.99 seconds.

Letsile Tebogo was just fresh from winning the Prefontaine Classic in a world-leading time of 19.76 seconds ahead of Courtney Lindsey of the USA, who came in second in 19.87. Alexander Ogando finished third in 19.94.

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Letsile Tebogo Disappointed with Loss to Noah Lyles

Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles among five big names hit by injury setbacks
Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles will face off in 200m at Monaco Diamond League. Photos: Imago

Speaking after the race, the world 100m silver medallist expressed his frustration, noting that he did not meet his expectations.

Letsile Tebogo pointed out that back in the call room, they had been called 20 minutes before time, which meant the warm-up had been very short for him.

However, he explained that he did not know about the others, but added that it was not an excuse for why he lost to Noah Lyles.

Letsile Tebogo also commented on crowning himself after finishing the race at the Prefontaine Classic, noting that he was just mimicking what is done in the games he plays and it was not throwing shade to any of his rivals.

“First of all, I’m disappointed with the performance, but we’ve come a long way. We came and we showed up,” Letsile Tebogo revealed after the race.

"I now have an idea of what to work on. Regarding the relays, the 4x400m is more interesting than 4x100m for me. I will do both relay events for Botswana this year.

“I'm always on the games, that's the other side that people don't normally get. So, I think now they'll have an idea of what I do when I'm not doing anything.”

Despite his setback at the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco, Letsile Tebogo remains focused on the bigger picture, using the experience as fuel to sharpen his form and bounce back stronger in upcoming races, as the main focus remains on the World Championships.