Letsile Tebogo Hints at Reasons Behind Slow Start in 100m This Season: ' I Kind of Hate That'

Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo has offered insight into his slow start to the 2026 season in the 100m on the Diamond League circuit.

Letsile Tebogo opened his Diamond League campaign at the Shanghai Meeting, where he finished seventh in the men’s 100m in 10.12 seconds.

The former world 100m silver medallist then lined up at the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen, placing eighth in 10.10 seconds as he continued to search for his best early-season form.

Speaking ahead of the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, Letsile Tebogo reflected on his preference for longer sprint training.

Letsile Tebogo explained that he tends to feel more comfortable and engaged when working within 400m-focused sessions, as they allow for a more sustained and rhythm-based effort compared to the explosive demands of shorter sprints.

According to him, the 100m and 200m events place a heavy emphasis on rapid acceleration and block starts, an aspect of racing he does not naturally gravitate towards.

By contrast, he noted that the extended sprint environment brings out his strongest performances in training, where he feels better able to express his endurance and racing strength ahead of his next competitive outing.

“I enjoy the 400m training more than the sprints one, because the one and the two, it's always about speed; it's always about being quick from the block, so I kind of hate that, but when you put me into the 400m program, that's where I'll really give you my best shot,” Letsile Tebogo said in the pre-race press conference.

Letsile Tebogo expressed optimism about his long-term performance goals, noting that he and his team are yet to fully focus on the Diamond League Final but see it as a key target for the season.

He explained that the competition would be a major highlight of their year and suggested that success there would depend on carefully timing his peak form to align with both the Diamond League Final and the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, where he hopes to deliver his strongest performances of the season.

“We haven't spoken about that one yet, but it will be a great one for us, and hopefully, we can calculate our peak time towards that Diamond League final and the Budapest Ultimate Championship,” Letsile Tebogo said.