Letsile Tebogo has opened up about how lane assignments played a significant role in his performance at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Despite being the reigning Olympic 200m champion, Tebogo left the competition without a medal in the 100m and 200m events, although he did manage to win gold with the men’s 4x400m relay team.
Tebogo’s challenges began in the 100m, where he was disqualified due to a false start. In the 200m, he narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing in fourth place. Reflecting on these events, Tebogo admitted that running in lane nine during the heats of the 200m was a major disadvantage, even though he won his heat.
As a taller athlete, Tebogo explained that the outer lanes posed a mental challenge. He felt more cautious when running on the outside, which affected his ability to execute his races at the highest level. Tebogo noted that the wider lanes created a sensation of being “thrown into the stands,” making it harder for him to run with the same fluidity and speed that he typically achieves in inner lanes.
“I don’t know who does the start list. Please, next time, just give me something much better. Either on the inside, not the outside, please,” Tebogo said during an interview. While he was not pleased with his lane assignment, he acknowledged that the experience was a valuable learning opportunity.
Despite the difficulties he faced, Tebogo remains optimistic, stating that such challenges will ultimately help him improve. “Everything is a learning curve. Without these kinds of races, we won’t learn how to run or execute the race from the outer lanes,” he explained.
In the future, Tebogo hopes to refine his technique and be better prepared for such situations. He emphasized the importance of executing a perfect race from start to finish, as demonstrated in his earlier record-breaking performances. For now, Tebogo will regroup and work toward bouncing back stronger in the upcoming season.
