'School boy' Tebogo promises to teach his seniors a lesson at Kip Keino Classic

Botswana's sprinting star, Letsile Tebogo and Ferdinand Omanyala react during the Absa Kip Keino Classic 2024 Presss Conference held at Eka Hotel in Nairobi on April 18, 2024. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Although it is his first time to feature in the Absa Kip Keino Classic, African 200m champion Letsile 'School Boy' Tebogo of Botswana is promising to teach the big boys a lesson at Nyayo National Stadium on Friday.

The 200m bronze medalist is all set to put up a dog fight in the category in the fifth edition of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold that has attracted the who is who from a cross the globe.

He will be up against the United States pair of Courtney Lindsey and Corian Camel, the 2022 World Relay 4x100m champion Brendon Rodney of Canada, the 2018 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medalist Henricho Bruintjies of South Africa as well as the African Games 200m silver medalist Claude Emmanuel Itoungue of Cameroon.

The sprinter from Bostwana is promising his legion of fans fireworks, with great hopes that Nairobi will be kind just like three years ago when he won gold and a silver in 100m and 200m at the World U-20 Championship staged at the Kasarani Stadium.

"Gauging my body, I'm already feeling like it's going to be a fantastic show at Nyayo, I came here in 2021 as a world junior and the city was very kind to me, I was favoured.

"I have returned here to see what the future holds," Tebogo said upon his arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Wednesday night for the championship.

Tebogo admits being the continental champion and a world silver medalist will boost his morale, but he is not focusing on the past, he is determined to conquer what's ahead of him.

"If I hold on to any of my world silvers, I will never progress to the gold. Sure, these medals give me advantage but I don't want to focus on that, I'm going to this championship with another strategy," he said.

By starting the season well, flawless and with no injury Tebogo believes he is on the right path to greatness.

"It's coming on right, so far everything is on the right track," he said.

Although his desire was to take on Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala and Olympics 200m silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek of USA in the cutthroat men's 100m, Tebogo des not regret the decision to run the 200m saying : "The season is still long, it's too early for me to engage in the 100m, so that's why I have opted for the 200m.

"The last time I did 200m was in Botswana, so I'm doing it here in Kenya as well."

When asked if there is any worthy opponents he feels will be a threat in the forthcoming race, he declared he fears no one.

"I'm not sure of what everyone is doing behind the scene, but what I know is that I will put up a great show."

And what's the story behind his nick name school boy?

"It all started in 2021, when I earned a call up to the senior team for the World Relays, I was the only one going to school in the squad!"

Interestingly, no past winners will be present to to reclaim the discipline title at Nyayo including double champion Aaron Brown of Canada.