- Essentially Athletics
- Posts
- Is Letsile Tebogo in Trouble?
Is Letsile Tebogo in Trouble?
July 16, 2025 | Edition #156
👋 Hey, Speedsters!
While all our attention was on the Monaco Diamond League and the Ed Murphey Classic, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event took over Italy on July 15. It was the Brescia Grand Prix 2025, featuring some high-octane showdowns! An athlete unexpectedly held off Letsile Tebogo in the 100m, and has a story you should know. While a veteran female sprinter broke the meet record, a 22-year-old Aussie defeated two Olympians. So hop on, as the track action awaits!
🌟 Track Stories
Just 0.01 Seconds Costed Tebogo a Gold!
Letsile Tebogo is suddenly in deep water! He has now suffered a third blow in just five days... First, he lost 200m to Noah Lyles at Monaco, DL, then his world-leading 200m time was snatched by T'Mars McCallum at the Ed Murphey Classic. And now a Canadian has outpaced him….
On July 15, at the Brescia Grand Prix, Tebogo was running the 100m. Now you'd expect the reigning 100m World silver medalist to win…But the 29-year-old Jerome Blake wasn’t going to allow that! Blake’s 0.153s reaction was faster than Tebogo's 0.192s. And as both powered ahead, Blake blazed to a 10.06s finish despite a -0.01 headwind. While Tebogo? He missed out by only 0.01s. Watch the photo finish here! In 2022, Blake had already held off Noah Lyles at the USATF Bermuda Games in a 100m race by 0.01s. And, this time it was Tebogo!
Tebogo took it sportingly, hugging Blake with a smile. Also, this blow highlighted Tebogo’s shaky 100m form. Well, Tebogo has run five 100m races so far, finishing 7th at Xiamen DL, 3rd in Shanghai, and 9th in Rabat. His season-best is 10.03s, placing him 42nd in the world this year. But on the other hand....
Blake seems to have rebounded from a few early setbacks. Last month in Dessau, he became the #6 Canadian ever to go sub-10 with his 9.97s run. And in case you don't know, he was born in a small town in Jamaica, raised by his grandmother after his mother moved to Canada. It was only later that Blake became a Canadian citizen. Meanwhile, he tried everything in athletics: sprints, hurdles, and high jump. And when he finally participated in his first Olympics at Tokyo, he returned with a 4x100m silver...Since then, he’s earned four global medals, including a relay gold in Paris.
And now, he is in great shape for the Worlds in September!
Relaxing Made Simpler
Life doesn’t always slow down on its own. But Calm helps you find your quiet moment when you need it most. With gentle music, guided breathing, and calming narration, it’s a simple, effective way to ease tension and take a mindful break.
Whether you’re following the latest meet or just winding down after a long day, Calm brings a little more peace to your routine. Try it free for 14 days… and after that, it’s still just $4 a month.
📈 Trending News
Brescia Grand Prix’s Fastest Ever 100m Women!
The Centro Gabre Gabric stadium witnessed some more magic. When the 36-year-old, Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, ran the women's 100m, like the seasoned pros. She’s had a consistent season so far, not missing the podium in a single race, but yesterday, she took it a step further...
As the gun went off, Ta Lou-Smith had the second slowest reaction time: 0.179s. Yet, she quickly picked up speed, made up the gap, and crossed the line in 10.92s, setting a new meet record. It might amaze you that she was the only woman to go sub-11s in that field. Watch how fast she was below!
In the process, Ta Lou-Smith also beat two Americans, Maia McCoy and Daryll Neita, who finished second and third. But there's more…It was not just a photo finish, but the field also had 15-year-old Kelly Ann Maevane Doualla Edimo, who placed fifth in 11.29s, setting an Italian U20 record. There’s a 21-year age gap between Ta Lou Smith and her, but still, they shared the track, now that’s something! And as we look at some more stats…
Ta Lou-Smith is quite well placed. At the Prefontaine Classic, she finished third behind Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Julien Alfred, while outpacing Sha'Carri Richardson. Currently, she ranks #12 on the world list, 83 spots ahead of Richardson, whose best so far has been 11.19s. On the other hand, there's Julien, Melissa, Tina, and Tia Clayton leading the 100m charts with sub-10.90s, and it looks like Ta Lou-Smith might get there soon!
📰 Top Stories of Today
🤯 Justin Gatlin warns Kishane Thompson’s rivals - Full Story
🤔 Is Noah Lyles’ 100m season debut under threat? - Full Story
🤨 Letsile Tebogo gets a reality check from a track and field coach - Full Story
🙃 Find out who is the fan favourite for the upcoming 100m at London DL! - Full Story
😮 A track star’s recent update warned rivals while fans are celebrating - Full Story
See what else is trending in the world of track & field - Click Here
🎖️ From The Vault
400m Runners, Watch Your Backs!
Looks like youngsters taking down the seasoned elites has become a new trend! After all, at the Brescia Grand Prix 2025, 400m veterans like Vernon Norwood and Kirani James, with six Olympic and World 400m medals in total, were left scratching their heads…
The 22-year-old Reece Holder, an Australian phenom with a reaction time of 0.302s, just 0.002s quicker than Norwood and 0.017s faster than James, from the outermost lane, clenched gold in 44.54s! He also clocked his season-best! Whereas Norwood followed second in 44.64s and James, third in 45.03s. And Bayapo Ndori, who beat Tebogo twice this season, despite having a much faster reaction, finished fourth. Here's how Holder smoked everyone! This was just his second 400m race this season, and he’s now 2 for 2. But don’t think his career was all easy…
This man always had it in him, winning his first national U17 400m title at 15. Yet he had to wait long to get onto the global stage. In 2021, he was denied a World U20 debut after Team Australia didn't travel to Kenya. Still, Holder stayed motivated. In 2023, he had a breakthrough, running 44.79s at the World University Games to become the #5 fastest Australian 400m runner ever. When he finally made it to the Olympics in Paris, things didn’t end well with his fifth-place finish in the semifinal. But the way he is running now, he might be one to watch!
📊 POLL OF THE DAY
Letsile Tebogo Has Been Showing Up for All Events, & That Hasn’t Been Entirely Fruitful for Him. Do You Think He Should Take a Break and Train for Worlds Directly? |
Last Poll Result: We asked you, “Who’s Your Pick to Finish the 2025 Season With the 200m World Lead?” Well, the question still hangs in the air — because there was no clear favorite! And honestly, we get it. With the lineup packed with stars like Noah Lyles, Letsile Tebogo, Kenny Bednarek, and rising sprinters all eyeing for the spot, how do you even pick one? Looks like we will have to wait for the World Championships to find out who will claim the throne.
That’s it for today, folks! We’ll look to knock on your inbox soon with more interesting stories!
💌 FEEDBACK
How Did You Enjoy Today’s Newsletter? |