Letsile Tebogo delivers brutal verdict on 'arrogant' Noah Lyles after Olympics message

Noah Lyles toed his Stade de France starting block on Wednesday as a runaway favorite to secure the 200m gold, cementing himself as the first American to secure an Olympic sprint double since Carl Lewis in 1984 and backing up his braggadocious pre-tournament claims.

But as the American superstar failed to remedy a slow start — Lyles would later state that he tested positive for COVID-19 — a new sprinting sensation emerged in his wake : Botswanan runner Letsile Tebogo cruised ahead of the pack, winning his nation's first-ever gold medal.

At just 21 years old, Tebogo's Olympic success comes after standout performances at the World Athletic Championships, but he plans to approach his rising stardom quite differently than Lyles. When asked by a reporter if he aspires to be the "face of athletics" Tebogo replied, "I think for me I can't be the face of athletics because I'm not an arrogant and a loud person like Noah."

READ MORE: Chari Hawkins breaks down in tears after Paris Olympics disaster left her shaking
READ MORE: Noah Lyles had COVID during Olympics 200m final which saw him leave in wheelchair

Lyles was given -425 odds to capture gold in the 200m before Thursday's race, Vegas assurance that matched Lyles' vocal confidence expressed entering the tournament. The Gainesville, Florida native had won the 100m and 200m events at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year, his third consecutive WAC title in the longer race, and among several boastful pre-Olympic quotes, Lyles said, "Now, here I am, stronger than before and when Noah Lyles is being Noah Lyles, there is nobody else.”

After a desperately close victory against Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, Lyles told a nearby camera "America, I told you... I got this," and he consistently described himself as the "fastest man in the world." Lyles failed to repeat his success in the 200m, disclosing that he had tested positive for COVID two days earlier, an opportunity Tebogo pounced on.

Hailing from a region characterized by a dominance in distance running, Tebogo separated himself as one of the most dominant youth sprinters before advancing to the professional circuit. The Botswanan sprinter even faced some controversy regarding his own boastful behavior, turning around and gesturing at his opponents during a dominant performance at the U20 world championships — Tebogo insisted this move was a tribute to iconic sprinter Usain Bolt.

Follow us on X for the best and latest in sports news

"If somebody took it as disrespect, I'm really sorry," Tebogo said at the time, according to Reuters. "(It was so) everybody watching at home can enjoy the race – to remind them a little bit about what Usain Bolt did back in the day. He's my idol - the person I look up to."

Tebogo's race day attire on Thursday included a variety of tributes to his mother, who died two months earlier due to an illness, wearing her birthdate on his shoes and her initials painted onto his nails. Lyles, despite his defeat on Thursday, made sure to author a public tribute to Tebogo's mother on X. "LETSILE TEBOGO congratulations. Ik you have had a very rough year off the track and despite that you overcame it all!"