Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo receives the Men’s Track Athlete of the Year Award
Botswanan sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who took gold at the Paris Olympics, has been named Athlete of the Year by World Athletics.
Tebogo received his award after becoming the first African Olympic champion in the 200m, crossing the line at the Stade de France in 19.46 seconds, edging out favourite American athletes Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles.
“This means a lot,” said Tebogo who doubled up with the men’s track award. “It’s not just about the team that is around you, there are a lot of fans out there that really want us to win something great for the continent.
The World Athletics also decided to reward many other athletes who shone at the Olympics.
Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia was given the Out of Stadium award.
Ethiopian steeplechaser Sembo Almayew and Italian long jumper Mattia Furlani were given the Rising Star awards.
During the ceremony, a moment was taken to remember last year’s Men’s Out of Stadium Athlete of the Year Kelvin Kiptum, the marathon world record-holder who died in a road accident in February.
