Even when his home country of Botswana is engulfed by severe floods, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo continues to be a hero. The 21-year-old was spotted on Wednesday manoeuvring his truck through the heavily flooded streets of Gaborone to rescue stranded drivers and their submerged vehicles. A video of the rescue mission quickly began circulating on Twitter, where users have dubbed him “the people’s champion.”
Olympic 200m champion 🇧🇼Letsile Tebogo rescuing people who were trapped during severe floodingpic.twitter.com/HCMm0bpZFS
— Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) February 19, 2025
Recent heavy rains in the capital city have resulted in catastrophic flooding, reportedly leading to residential and infrastructural damage and countless major road closures. The dangerous conditions have also resulted in schools being shut down.
Our Champ @tebogo_letsile_, we salute you motho waga matshaba le kgomo… pic.twitter.com/hKQMgoh6I5
— Dave Pk Moilwa (@DavePMoilwa) February 19, 2025
The news unfolded just two days following the one-year anniversary of Tebogo’s world-best 300m run at altitude in Pretoria, South Africa. In February 2024, the sprinter opened his season with a time of 30.69 seconds over 300m, chipping 0.12 seconds off South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk’s previous world best of 30.81 from 2017.
Tebogo became a celebrity in Botswana in August after winning the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal at his Olympic debut in Paris. He beat the American favourite, Noah Lyles, in the 200m, with a personal best and an African record of 19.46. Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi declared the day a public holiday to celebrate Tebogo’s achievement. Later that month, the athlete fulfilled another lifelong dream of meeting Pope Francis.
