How camping in South Africa helped Letsile Tebogo win gold at the Olympics

The 21-year-old set two national records in the 100m (9.86) and 200m (20.72) races, making history as the first African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in the 200m.

Tebogo annually trains in Potchefstroom, located in South Africa’s North West Province, and this year he dedicated three months to intensive preparation there.

He expressed gratitude, acknowledging that his time in South Africa has been instrumental in reaching his Olympic goals.

"It has helped the team not me only, it has helped the team because we had to step up out of our comfort zone and make sure that we push through it all, each and every day. The facilities are the best, Potchefstroom is the best sport centre that I have ever seen because I see a lot of European countries back there so it means that it's something great for a lot of countries," said Tebogo.

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Tebogo said that people are starting to notice that he and his teammates frequently visit Potchefstroom for training camps and are now very familiar with the area.

He suggested that they might explore something different next year.

"I think the following year we are going to look for something better, we are going to change the environment because now we know the shortcuts of Potchefstroom which is something that we don't want because we stayed there for the past three years. So, I think changing the environment will mean a lot to the team."