- Botswana’s grand celebration of sprinter Letsile Tebogo’s historic gold medal win has drawn sharp comparisons to Kenya’s own Olympic achievements
- While Tebogo was welcomed home with a stadium full of cheering fans and a presidential half-day holiday, Kenyan athletes who secured over ten medals to become the leading in Africa faced a muted reception
- This contrast has fueled frustration among Kenyans, who have expressed disappointment over the lack of support and celebration for their own Olympic champions
Botswana’s jubilant celebration of sprinter Letsile Tebogo’s historic gold medal win at the Paris Olympics has sparked a wave of comparisons with Kenya’s own Olympic achievements.
Tebogo, who made history as Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist with a record-breaking 200-meter race time of 19.46 seconds, was welcomed home by an enthusiastic crowd at the National Stadium in Gaborone.
Thousands of fans cheered as Tebogo paraded around the stadium on a bus, with the country’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi declaring a half-day holiday in his honor.
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In stark contrast, Kenyan athletes, who brought home four gold medals among other accolades, have faced criticism for the lackluster reception and support from their government.
Social media has been abuzz with Kenyan commentators expressing disappointment over the perceived neglect of their own champions.
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One Instagram user lamented, “Our athletes were left to take Ubers and taxis after arriving from Paris, while Botswana celebrated their hero with full national pride.”
Another comment highlighted the disparity: “It’s disheartening to see how we don’t celebrate our champions like Botswana does. We are so used to medals that we no longer appreciate our heroes.”
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Here are other reactions from Kenyans:
“This makes me sad for Kenya. We are so used to medals that we don’t celebrate our champions anymore.” — @okelojavan
“Love this!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I suspect Kenya didn’t even try as usual.” — @anitanderu
“And if you know anything about Botswana’s population, that might just be the whole country! 😅” — @mwangiwill
“Na wetu hawana gari ya kuwapick wanachukua bolt 😂😂😂😂” — @drdoll_aug2021
“Wow. This is fantastic. This means a lot for their country 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾” — @mozdj
“Na wetu wanarudi kama wezi 😢😢” — @garnet_wallace
“Impact 🇧🇼❤️👏🏿 Mama Africa keep rising and shining” — @akecmakurchuot
“Alafu kuna sisi Wakenya!!! Tuongee kiswahili tusichome!! 😂” — @misskwama
“My Goooodness, this here is mind-blowing. I can imagine the motivation this young champ has gotten from this.” — @nutritionbynthenya
“Bana we need to start celebrating our athletes, they are underappreciated. They have done so much for our country throughout the decades and deserve the absolute most!!” — @nyakwezi
