GABORONE, Botswana — The nation of diamonds now has a gold.
The folks of Botswana got the afternoon off work Friday by a presidential decree so they may have fun its first gold medal on the Olympics.
Sprinter Letsile Tebogo’s win within the 200 meters on Thursday evening in Paris was a second to cherish for a southern African nation of two.4 million those who’s largely made up of desert. Botswana is possibly higher recognized for being one of many world’s prime diamond producers.
Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi gave everybody a half-day nationwide vacation in recognition of Tebogo’s victory and to “pause and have fun him,” his workplace mentioned.
Earlier than the 21-year-old Tebogo’s breakthrough, Botswana had gained simply two Olympic medals since its first Video games in Moscow in 1980. They’ve all come on the monitor, with Nijel Amos profitable silver within the 800 meters in 2012 and the boys’s 4×400 relay workforce taking bronze on the final Olympics in Tokyo.
Tebogo’s gold was historical past for all of Africa as he grew to become the primary runner from the continent to win the Olympic title within the 200.
Botswana’s neighbor Namibia has come shut earlier than, when Frankie Fredericks gained silver medals within the 100 and 200 meters at each the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
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AP Summer time Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
