Tebogo's Feet Will Do The Talking

Botswanan shuns limelight as he prepares for battles against brash Lyles at world meet

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TOKYO - Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo said on Sept 9 he would let his "legs do the talking" in his battle with brash American Noah Lyles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The soft-spoken Botswanan won his country's first Olympic gold medal in any sport at Paris 2024, where Lyles finished third.

Tebogo labelled his flamboyant American rival "arrogant" after the race, and Lyles' outsized character is likely to command the global spotlight again when the world championships begin on Sept 13.

Tebogo said he was comfortable with the "different personalities" in the sport, as he took part in an event with children at a primary school in Tokyo.

"I'm one person who always shies away from the media, but the sport forces me to step up, up my game into becoming a sports personality," said the 22-year-old.

"At the end of the day, it's all about what do you want to see: To be in the spotlight or off the spotlight. For me, I choose off the spotlight and then just my legs do the talking."