Letsile Tebogo may not have won the Wanda Diamond League title in Zurich, but his performance in the final was yet more proof that the Botswanan sprinter is among the greatest athletes of his generation.
Olympic 200m champion Tebogo went head to head with US rival Noah Lyles at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday in one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Final.
The 22-year-old missed out on victory by the narrowest of margins in a dramatic photo finish, coming in just 0.02 seconds behind Lyles.
Yet there was a silver lining for Tebogo. His time of 19.76 was the best result by a male athlete under the age of 23 at this year’s final, making him the winner of the Jesse Owens Rising Star Award for the second year in a row.
A collaboration between the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation and the Wanda Diamond League, the award honours the legacy of the one of the sport’s biggest names while also highlighting the best upcoming talent in track and field.
He was presented with the award by Owens’ grandchildren Gina Hemphill-Strachan and Marlene Dortch alongside fellow 2025 winner Faith Cherotich.
It was the second successive year that Tebogo had won the award, having also been the best performer under the age of 23 at last year’s final in Brussels.
The award crowned another sparkling Diamond League season for Tebogo, who kickstarted his campaign with back-to-back victories and remained at the top of his game for the rest of the year.
The Botswana star won his first 200m race of the season with 20.10 in Doha and clocked a winning 19.76 at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene two months later.
He finished second behind Lyles with 19.97 in Monaco, comfortably securing second place in the Diamond League standings and his place at the Diamond League Final.
After his showdown with Lyles in Zurich, Tebogo turns his attention to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he will be looking to add the world title to his growing medal collection.
“I feel there is still a lot more in the tank that people need to see. I take this as a big motivation for my training and from tomorrow, until the last day of the 200m final, I have to give it all my best,” he said.
About the Jesse Owens Rising Star Award
The Jesse Owens Rising Star Award honours the best performing male and female athletes aged 23 or under at each Wanda Diamond League Final.
The award, a collaboration between the Owens family, the Jesse Owens Foundation and the Wanda Diamond League, aims to celebrate young talent in athletics and honour the legacy of one of global track and field’s most iconic figures.
Jesse Owens was 23 years old when he won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi-era Berlin, writing himself indelibly into the sporting history books.
