19 Feb 2023

Botswana’s 100 metres sensation, Letsile Tebogo, started the season on a high note by winning a 300 metres race in a time of 31.52 at the Curro Simbine Classic Shootout series held in South Africa on Saturday.

Although it was his first race of the season, Tebogo looked at easy in the bend and in the home straight.

Position two and three went to South Africa’s Lythe Pillay and Garder Isaac, who clocked 32.08 and 32.35 respectively.

Tebogo’s coach, Kebonyemodisa ‘Dose’ Mosimanyane, said in an interview that the fact that Tebogo had long qualified for the World Championships, their focus now was to prepare for the championships.

“So everything that we are going to do this season, I mean all the competitions that we are going to enter, will be preparation for championships,” he said.

Mosimanyane said even the pace they were going to adopt it would be that of an athlete preparing for the big stage and he should be fit and healthy in August.

“The way he approached the 300 metres says a lot and mind you, we did not approach it with a special dispensation, we did not prepare for 300 metres, but we made it as part of our normal training, with the same approach,” he said.

Furthermore, he said they would be cautious this season when entering or participating in any race, given that their mission was for the athlete to stay healthy until the World Championships in August 19.

Mosimanyane said Tebogo would not be new at the World Championships, given that he competed at the last edition in Oregon, United States, adding their intention would be to correct the mistakes he did in the last edition.

He said they would go all the way to the final, adding Tebogo would be competing in both 100 and 200 metres at the World Championships, hence their preparation strategy would be to keep the base at the bottom.

“That’s the main reason you will see him running 300 metres and 400 metres, we will narrow it down as the time progresses, when speed allows him,” he said. Ends