Imago
Credits: Instagram
Imago
Credits: Instagram
Back in January, after last years Botswana’s stunning relay gold at the World Championships in Tokyo, Letsile Tebogo who played a key role in the 4x400m win over the United States, gave a bold warning. With the 2026 World Relays in Gaborone coming he said: “Tell the US to bring their fastest, they are still going to be looking at our back numbers.” But now months after what he said, it seems like he might have jinxed himself.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
On April 3, during the men’s 100m heats at the Botswana Athletics Championships in Gaborone, Tebogo ran into trouble while warming up. He was testing the starting blocks right before the heats when he slipped and suffered a nasty fall. He was then reportedly carried off the track, although more details on the nature and intensity of his injury are yet to be released. But in a video that’s gone viral, Tebogo’s fall sure looks alarming.
Tebogo’s nasty fall. I hope he’s okay pic.twitter.com/8VAHGuAxZN
— Abimbola (@Bimbochan) April 3, 2026
Right after putting one foot ahead, Tebogo tumbled and seemingly spun 360 before he fell sideways on the ground. Status: He reportedly has been forced out of the Botswana Athletics Championships following this injury. And this is one of the worst news that could come his way.
Top Stories
Botswana is hosting the World Relays on May 2–3, and Tebogo is the face of that event and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
- The Paris Olympics 200m champ, Tebogo, is also scheduled to race in the men’s 200m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, USA, on July 4, where he would face top sprinters, including Kenny Bednarek.
- Also, the timing is important for Botswana’s relay ambitions. Since teams performing at the World Relays 2026 will have the chance to qualify for the first World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, the World Relays can be a big opportunity for both Tebogo and Botswana.
However, this isn’t his first setback either as last year, his Coach Kebonyemodisa Mosimanyane, had confirmed that Tebogo had been experiencing recurrent injuries in his knee. The athlete even experienced a flare-up earlier in May 2025, which disrupted nearly two weeks of his training. Later, at the May 2025 Diamond League in Rabat, he withdrew from the 200m after struggling through the 100m and finishing last in 10.43 seconds. The Paris Olympics Champ spoke about how injuries once frustrated him.
“I’m forever grateful for my teammates, for the confidence that they gave me,” he said in an exclusive World Athletics feature. “They boosted me into stepping up because it was just more of a horrible season for me. The injuries that we had during that season, we had too many starts and stops.
“After what happened in the 100m, in the 200m where you know you had true potential to bring up a medal and it didn’t happen, the confidence went downhill, but they managed to pull it back up the hill again.”
Well, sadly he would need to climb uphill again. However, even with Letsile Tebogo sidelined, Botswana still had a reason to celebrate at the 2026 National Championships.
As Olympics star Letsile Tebogo stumbles, another 22-year-old shines
Sure, Letsile Tebogo’s injury cast doubt over Botswana’s sprint hopes, but soon after, Collen Kebinatshipi stepped up at the 2026 Botswana Athletics Championships in Gaborone.
Known mainly as a 400m runner, he dropped down to the 100m and ran 9.89 seconds twice, first in the semifinals and then again in the final. This made him the first athlete of the 2026 season to break the 10-second barrier and showed that Botswana has more sprint talent ready to shine.
Kebinatshipi’s performance now puts him alongside Letsile Tebogo, the Paris 2024 200m Olympics star, who holds the national 100m record at 9.86 seconds. Even before his recent performance, just last month, Kebinatshipi had clocked 10.53 seconds at the BAA Track and Field Series 4.
Though the reason why he’s running in the 100m is way different.
“I’ve been focusing more on the 400m in training, but I’ve been using the 100m to sharpen up my speed,” he explained.
This shows how he is using different races to build his speed and prepare for bigger challenges. Moreover, at just 22 years old, Kebinatshipi already has an impressive record.
He won silver in the 4×400m relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics and claimed two world titles at last year’s World Championships. This included an individual 400m victory over Jereem Richards and a gold medal in the 4×400m relay.
Thus, his strong performance in Gaborone confirms that he is ready for even bigger competitions and gives Botswana fans a new reason to be excited about the sprint season after Letsile Tebogo’s dominance.
