Botswana’s sprinter, Letsile Tebogo, has been encouraged to take it from Faith Kipyegon in order to fully harness his talent. Stephen Mwaniki, Kenya’s sprint coach, believes Tebogo needs to participate in fewer races to potentially set a world record in the future.
Tebogo was a standout athlete in 2024, winning Olympic gold in the 200m, silver in the 4x400m, and securing victories in five Diamond League races before the season finale in Brussels. However, by the time he reached Brussels, exhaustion had set in, and he lost the title to American Kenny Bednarek. This situation led Mwaniki to urge Tebogo to adopt a strategy similar to that of Faith Kipyegon, who selectively participates in a few events but gains maximum results.
The veteran coach believes a world record is within Tebogo’s grasp, provided he is more selective about his races. “Tebogo is still young and records are meant to be broken. He can get to those levels so long as the people handling him are not exposing him too much and letting him run too many races,” Mwaniki told Pulse Sports.
He further highlighted Kipyegon’s approach: “If you look at Faith Kipyegon, why is she performing well? She is running a few races, and that did not stop her from making money.”
“They need to make sure he goes to a few races so that he does proper training and maintains himself, and he can get it right,” added Mwaniki.
Tebogo has participated in numerous events this year, starting with the ASA Grand Prix in South Africa, then the Kip Keino Classic, World Relays, African Championships, and the Olympics.
He also took part in six Diamond League meetings and three grand prix races. Mwaniki believes this is excessive and suggests the sprinter focus on the 200m and 400m, where he sees Tebogo’s greatest potential.
“I feel if he can be taken to 200m and 400m, he can use 100m as speedwork then very soon we will hear the world record coming to Africa,” Mwaniki concluded.
Mwaniki has been Kenya’s sprints coach for many years, working with the country’s top athletes.
