Is Ferdinand Omanyala's African record in danger with the rise of Letsile Tebogo?

ATHLETICS Is Ferdinand Omanyala's African record in danger with the rise of Letsile Tebogo?

Abigael Wafula 09:16 - 28.03.2024

Ferdinand Omanyala's African record might just be under a threat with the rise of wonderkind Letsile Tebogo who has constantly been making headlines.

Botswanan youngster Letsile Tebogo has been making headlines this season and might just be going for every record that stands in his way.

The youngster opened his 2024 with a bang, smashing the 300m world best and running faster than 100m and 200m world record holder Usain Bolt, American sprint legend Michael Johnson, and 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.

He clocked an impressive 30.69 to cross the finish line first at the Curro Podium Final in Pretoria, South Africa. The youngster seems to love Pretoria and he sure returned for a 400m race at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix 2, clocking an impressive Personal Best time of 44.29 for a comfortable win.

Tebogo has become the talk of the town one more time, impressing crowds at the ASA Athletics Grand Prix 3 in Johannesburg to win the 200m race in an impressive time of 19.94. The youngster is yet to run a 100m race and when he does, something magical might happen.

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Owing to his great shape, the African record might go down first, then he might just focus on the world record, something that seems impossible to many legends but Tebogo might be the one to change the narrative.

The African record is owned by Ferdinand Omanyala who ran a time of 9.77 at the 2021 Kip Keino Classic to obliterate Akani Simbine’s time of 9.84 seconds that he had set while competing at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix earlier that year.

Tebogo’s lifetime best over the distance is 9.88, a time he ran at last year’s World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. It is every athlete’s dream to always post impressive times and have records under their names and Tebogo is not an exception.

He has confirmed that his next race will be the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold scheduled for Saturday, April 29. The 20-year-old is yet to confirm the race he will be competing in but if it’s the 100m, then Omanyala’s record might just fall.

Tebogo was in action last year but he was beaten to second place by Omanyala in the 100m but win the 200m race in style to impress home fans.