Letsile Tebogo Makes Honest Admission on How Lyles Has Changed Since Paris Olympics

The 21 year old sprinter made headlines after his reaction to Noah Lyles’ narrow Diamond League victory in Zurich.

Botswana’s sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo has praised American rival Noah Lyles for showing humility this season even as their fierce rivalry continues to light up the track.

On Thursday night in Zurich, the pair delivered another breathtaking duel in the men’s 200m at the Diamond League final.

Lyles, trailing Tebogo at the start, clawed back in the final stretch and edged ahead by centimeters to secure victory in 19.74 seconds.

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Tebogo, the Olympic 200m champion, finished a mere 0.02 seconds behind.

“This is not my true potential right now. I feel there is still a lot more in the tank that people need to see. I take this as a big motivation for my training and from tomorrow, until the last day of the 200m final, I have to give it all my best. I have to give all out,” Tebogo said after the race.

Tebogo: “Lyles is humble now”

Tebogo, who defeated Lyles at the Paris Olympics earlier this summer, reflected on the changing demeanor of his rival.

The youngster suggested that Lyles has toned down his public confidence after recent setbacks.

“I have been preparing for this race for so long only to lose it at the last finish. This is the strong part of me — you have to let the legs do the talk. Because the more you are talk and you cannot prove it, it means you only talk, you do not prove yourself,” Tebogo noted.

“But for me, I do not talk, I just let the legs do its thing. I think now, Lyles is humble. He knows what can happen in this sport. He wins today, tomorrow, he can lose it. I believe since Paris, he has been humble, he has not been talking so much,” he added.

A Rivalry Built on Respect

Lyles, the reigning world champion in both the 100m and 200m, is no stranger to the big stage.

Despite battling groin inflammation earlier this season, he returned in strong form to claim his sixth Diamond League crown — more than any track athlete in the competition’s history.

Tebogo, however, remains confident in his ability to push Lyles further.

“But I believe, the more he is afraid of the other athlete. Now, he is just more calm. We are equally balanced at the moment. For sure, I am going to double in Tokyo. I just want to let it all out,” he said.

The Zurich victory was a crucial reminder of Lyles' dominance in 200m. His 19.74s, though shy of his meeting record of 19.52s from 2022, was still among the five fastest 200m times of the year. It also marked his 19th career Diamond League win over the distance.

Tebogo, just 21, continues to establish himself as the face of sprinting’s next generation.

For the second consecutive year, though, he has been denied the Diamond League title by an American rival — last year by Kenny Bednarek in Brussels, and now by Lyles in Zurich.