‘It’s Just Too Much’ - Letsile Tebogo Opens Up on Mental Struggles After Ultimate Championship Defeat

Botswana sprint sensation Letsile Tebogo has lifted the lid on some of the struggles he has been going through which have affected his form.

Tebogo finished seventh in the 100m at the Ultimate Championship on Saturday, having clocked 10.07 seconds, in a race won by American Kenny Bednarek in a season’s best 9.98 seconds.

Having done well in the semi-final, Tebogo was slow off the blocks in the final, and paid the ultimate price as he could not cope with the speed of his competitors.

The defeat extended Tebogo’s winless run to three straight races, coming a week after he finished fourth in 200m at the Diamond League final and just under a fortnight since an eighth-place finish at the Brescia Grand Prix in the 400m.

The Olympics 200m champion says his mind has not been fully focused due to a number of issues which has affected his performances on the track.

“So many things going on but I will just let bygones be bygones,” Tebogo said in Budapest after his race on Saturday.

“I am happy with today’s performance. Nobody imagined me in the top eight but for me, that was the greatest achievement looking at how the 100m has been going on I am grateful even though we wanted the 10 seconds.”

While he is promising to bounce back soon, Tebogo has hinted that he could be struggling under the weight of expectations.

“Everything is going to end very soon and you will see the Tebogo that you saw before in the upcoming seasons,” he promised.

“I am 100% okay, it is just something to do with the mental aspect but if physically and emotionally I am okay, then the other things we can see and find a way on how we can go through about it.

“I carry so many hopes and lives behind my back so it is just too much but we will go through it,” the 23-year-old further stated.

Tebogo has a chance to make amends on Sunday when he takes to the track in the 200m final.