Letsile Tebogo of Botswana won the 100m at the World U20 Athletics Championships in Cali, Colombia on Tuesday.
Tebogo, who only turned 19 in June, won in an incredible 9.91 seconds. What made the time even more astonishing was that he began celebrating long before the finishing line, turning to his right and pointing his finger at silver medallist Bouwahjgie Nkrumie of Jamaica.
The run - which surely would have been closer to 9.80 than 9.90 had he not celebrated so early - broke Tebogo's own world U20 record of 9.94 seconds which he had set last month in the heats at the World senior championships in Oregon.
World Juniors I see
— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) August 2, 2022
"The statement was to come out and enjoy the race," Tebogo said when asked about the celebration.
"If somebody took it as disrespect, I’m really sorry. I saw the fans and (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 days. He’s my idol – the person I look up to."
The teenager said that it would be a "very great pleasure" for him to one day meet Bolt.
"I saw they were scared of me, but I was also scared of them,” he added regarding the race.
"When the gun went off I had to make sure I made the best start of my life and it was the best start of my life. I didn’t plan (the celebration) but as soon as my first step I knew the title was mine. I didn’t worry about the time. I didn’t look."
Earlier on Tuesday at the championships, Ireland's Reece Ademola came fifth in the long jump final. The Cork teenager had been in the medal positions until the last round of the competition.
Letsile Tebogo sets new world U20 100m record
See Also: Heartbreak For Cork Teen In World U20 Long Jump Final
