Letsile Tebogo has been having an outstanding athletic year. He defeated Noah Lyles to win the gold medal in the 200m at the Paris Olympics. Lyles, who was the odds-on favourite to win before the competition began, only received a bronze medal. Tebogo finished the race in 19.46 seconds, his personal best time. Since then, he has had a fantastic run.
Right after Paris, he competed in the Lausanne Diamond League, finishing first with a timing of 19.64 seconds. He resumed his winning streak at the Silesia Diamond League, finishing first in 19.83 seconds. Now he’s done it again in Zurich.
Despite trailing for the most of the race, Letsile Tebogo passed Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton in time to win. The Motswana athlete ran 19.55 seconds, slightly ahead of Bednarek (19.57) and Knighton (19.79). With each passing day, he appears to be moving closer to Noah Lyles’ personal best. His confidence seemed to be growing.
After winning in Zurich, Letsile Tebogo went to X and shared a photo of himself crossing the finish line ahead of Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton. He captioned it, “If you steal anything from me, make sure it’s notes.” He want to send a message to the track world that they must learn from him in order to compete with him. This faith in himself is completely justified. It may now be argued that he is the best 200m athlete in the world.
Letsile Tebogo’s recent amazing performance at the Olympics and the Diamond League strengthens the case that he is the best in the world. Noah Lyles is his only opponent. Sure, Tebogo defeated Lyles in the Olympics. However, he eventually admitted that he had COVID. Nonetheless, he managed to win the bronze medal. Furthermore, Lyles’ consistency over the last few years is admirable and should be taken into consideration.
As a result, it’s difficult to determine whether Tebogo is currently better than Noah Lyles. However, based on their numbers, it appears that the margin is decreasing more and more each day.
Comparing Letsile Tebogo with Noah Lyles: Who is the best in the world?
Is Letsile Tebogo a potential danger to Noah Lyles’ track and field dominance?
Letsile Tebogo and Noah Lyles’ first encounter at the 200m occurred at the London Athletics event. Lyles placed first with a timing of 19.47 seconds. Tebogo came in second place, clocking 19.50 seconds. They would face again in the World Championships in Budapest, which Lyles won in 19.52 seconds. Tebogo finished third with 19.81. Thus, before the Olympics, the rivalry appeared to be one-sided. Letsile Tebogo defeated Noah Lyles for the first time in the semifinals. Tebogo won the race in 19.96 seconds, with Lyles coming in second at 20.08. That’s when fortunes changed for the Motswana sprinter. Since then, his incredible run, which includes the recent run in Zurich, has begun.
Noah Lyles, on the other hand, has been out of commission since Paris. He has not confirmed a return date yet. Lyles’ personal best time of 19.31 remains the greatest by any contemporary athlete. Letsile Tebogo’s personal best of 19.46 seconds is the same time as Lyles’ second best. However, Lyles has never been below 19.4 since 2022. Furthermore, with age on Tebogo’s side and his ruthless form, it appears likely that he will shatter the American record shortly. That is when he will be officially recognised as the world’s finest 200m sprinter. Right now, everything is purely supposition on both sides.
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