Justice Served for Letsile Tebogo as Life Achievement Gets Returned Over Rival’s 4-Year Ban

“But this is my year as a junior. We have to leave (the record) here for the next generation to come and break it.” 19-year-old Letsile Tebogo said this minutes after he had lowered the U20 world record thrice in the same year. Well, he surely wanted this one to stay for long.

However, as unfortunate as it was, he only got to sit on that junior world record holder throne for 11 months. After which, a teen from Suriname snatched it.

But it’s never over until it actually is right? Looks like Tebogo isn’t truly destined to be #2. Yes, in a sudden twist of fate, the record holder has now been sentenced to a 4-year ban. So it might just be Tebogo’s lucky day today!

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Let’s put things in perspective. Currently, the men’s World U20 100m list is topped by 20-year-old Issamade Asinga, thanks to his 9.89s run from the 2023 South American Athletics Championships. Whereas Letsile Tebogo ranks second below him, courtesy of his 9.91s run from the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships.

However, things changed when Asinga got tangled in an ugly controversy back in 2024.

He sued Gatorade in July, alleging that they gave him ‘recovery gummies’ that had cardarine in them, leading him to test positive and get handed a four-year ban. But after a long legal battle, it looks like things haven’t gone in his favor.

As per sources, Gatorade has defeated Asinga over the allegedly tainted gummies as the judge dismissed Issamade’s suit.

Well, now, because of this, the situation is that Issamade’s four-year ban is likely to stand.

And under these circumstances, his two South American titles, in the 100m (9.89s) and the 200m (20.19s), are likely to be taken back.

Also, since the former one stands as the existing U20 world record, his title shall be removed and handed over to Letsile Tebogo, who is second on the list.

While this is unexpectedly favorable for the Batswana Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo, it would naturally be quite unsatisfying for the banned sprinter.

But what happened? Well, his lawsuit was mainly dismissed as the district judge upheld that Issamade could not sue Gatorade for liability because he sustained no physical injury, or for consumer protection because he did not purchase the gummies.

The district judge upheld, “he will be deprived of his athletic career for four years through no fault of his own.

Unfortunately, the causes of action he has asserted are not the right fit for the circumstances.” 

Poll of the day

Poll 1 of 5

Thrilled, he deserves it

It’s unfair, Asigna was the rightful record holder

Indifferent, records are meant to be broken

Concerned about the impact on young athletes

Do you think Jamaica’s women’s relay team can bounce back and secure their spot for the World Championships in Tokyo?

Absolutely, they have the talent

It’s going to be tough, but possible

Unlikely, they need a major overhaul

I have my doubts after this performance

Want to dive deeper?

Here are the articles that inspired recent polls.

Do you think Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will dominate the 100m flat track like she has in the 400m hurdles?

Absolutely, she’s unstoppable

Maybe, but it’s a different challenge

No, it’s too soon to tell

I doubt it, the competition is fierce

Do you think the Jamaican men’s relay team can bounce back from this setback in future competitions?

Absolutely, they have the talent

Maybe, but they need better coordination

No, this was their best shot

Only if they bring in new coaching staff

Do you think Masai Russell’s recent performance silences her critics for good?

Absolutely, she’s proven herself

No, she still has more to prove

Maybe, but consistency is key

Critics will always find something

Want to dive deeper?

Here are the articles that inspired recent polls.

While Issamade Asinga can still appeal the dismissal, one should understand that the repercussions of this ban has been heavy on his career.

When he was handed the ban originally, he was also deprived of his two under-20 world records, his Paris Olympics chance, and his athletics scholarship to the Texas A&M university. But for Letsile Tebogo, this has worked out unanticipatedly.

Once ratified, he shall once again be the U20 World Record, 0.02s ahead of American athlete Christian Miller and other fast teens.

Well, with the addition of this record, Letsile Tebogo’s resume should look more stacked than ever.

After all, this time had made him the fastest teen. Yes, not even Usain Bolt has run this fast as a U20 athlete.

And for those who don’t know, Tebogo had to really push to achieve this 9.91s time. How? We’ll tell you.

Letsile Tebogo’s U20 World Record was a testament to his skill

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2022 started with a bang for Letsile Tebogo as on April 30, he broke American Trayvon Bromell’s U20 world record at the Gaborone International Meet at the National Stadium.

It was after eight years that someone had touched this rank. But for Tebogo, who ran it in just 9.96 seconds, making history seemed like a cakewalk.

But this wasn’t where he stopped.

Three months later, in July, the Paris Olympics 200m Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo did it again, going 0.02 of a second faster. Yes, he lowered it to 9.94s in heat 5 of the Eugene World Athletics Championships.

And then finally, on August 2, the teenager broke his own world record once again, running that 9.91-second performance during the final of the U20 World Athletics Championships in Pascual Guerrero Stadium, Cali, Colombia. Now that’s the power of Letsile Tebogo.

But clearly, he really strived to reach that mark, and thus retaining it would probably feel a worthy addition to his storied career. What do you think? Let us know below!

Tanveen Kaur Lamba 728 Articles One Take at a Time

Tanveen Kaur Lamba is a budding Olympics Writer at EssentiallySports.

After crafting 1000+ articles in various fields, she has finally found her calling for sports journalism.

She is a versatile writer covering sports like track and field, swimming, surfing, and wrestling.