Letsile Tebogo Sends Warning to Rivals Despite Loss to Kenny Bednarek at Rabat Diamond League

Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo has expressed optimism about his form and what lies ahead this season after finishing second in his second 200m race of the year at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat.

The Motswana sprint star clocked 19.96 seconds to take second place, finishing behind two-time Olympic 200m silver medallist Kenny Bednarek, who stormed to victory in a meet record time of 19.69 seconds.

South Africa’s Sinesipho Dambile completed the podium in third place with a time of 20.03 seconds.

Letsile Tebogo had opened his 200m season with a win at the BAA Track and Field Series 2, where he recorded 20.75 seconds, continuing his steady build-up as he sharpens his form for the rest of the campaign.

Speaking after the race, Letsile Tebogo said that he is pleased with the way his season has begun, describing it as a strong and encouraging start that reflects the same high level of form he carried from 2024.

The former world 100m silver medallist explained that his performances so far show continuity in his preparation and give him confidence as he continues to build momentum through the early stages of the campaign.

He noted that he was satisfied with his latest run and is already shifting focus to upcoming races, where he hopes to maintain consistency and gradually improve his times. Tebogo added that achieving more sub-20-second performances remains an important target as he works towards peak condition.

The Olympic champion further stated that his broader preparation is aimed at a major objective later in the season, which requires steady progress in every race he competes in.

He emphasised the need to keep pushing forward without slowing down, stressing that each competition is an opportunity to improve and refine his performance as he looks ahead.

“I'm excited. A great start to the season. I would say we are still in that form, 2024, when it started. So, I'm happy with the performance and looking forward to the next one,” Letsile Tebogo said after the race.

“I think it's just to stay consistent and drop in some sub-20s because we are preparing for something big, something ahead of us. So, we wait for September. It's all gas, no brakes. That's what we have to do, just keep on improving each race that we get into.”

“Rome, and then Oslo. It's going to be really exciting. I'm so excited about the race, so I can't wait to really get into that race and just execute.”

Meanwhile, in the 100m, Letsile Tebogo started his Diamond League campaign at the Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai, crossing the finish line in 10.12 seconds. He then clocked 10.10 seconds in Xiamen.