Go for Gold(en)

 Michael - Alternate Thursdays

Beacon with Simone Biles
Photo: The Guardian

Over the last two weeks there were many new heroes of the Olympics, but two stood out for me. One has to be Beacon, the US team’s emotional support Golden Retriever. Given the number of golden medals the team vacuumed up, it seems obvious that every team needs one of these emotional support dogs. Sadly, Jordan Chiles needed him in Paris, but unfortunately Beacon wasn’t allowed to travel there. Presumably, he will make it to LA. They may need to build special dog accommodation there in 2028 if the idea catches on.

Letsile Tebogo wins the 200m gold medal

The other is Letsile Tebogo, who ran away with Botswana’s first ever gold medal. It’s not that his feat was more remarkable than so many of the others, but rather the thrill of seeing a man from a relatively small country making it to the very top of the world in his sport. Letsile wasn’t alone in that, a few of the Caribbean Islands’ stars also shot to goldom. But in addition, Letsile gave a heart-stopping performance in the Men’s 4 x 400 relay to take his team to silver, a mere tenth of a second behind the winning US team. (I suspect Beacon was responsible for that tenth of a second.) The message these athletes take home is that anyone, anywhere can do it. 

The late Seratiwa Tebogo

Letsile’s 200m triumph was even more remarkable because he lost his mother, Seratiwa, less than three months before the Olympics after a short illness. He had her birthdate embroidered on his shoes and held them up after the race. "It's basically me carrying her through every stride that I take inside the field," Letsile said. "To take her, it gives me a lot of motivation. She's watching up there, and she's really, really happy."

In an interview with the BBC last year, Seratiwa described her son as a hyperactive, but obedient, child, who grew up to be a man of few words. She was a single mother, but explained how the extended family and the whole community had helped to raise, support, and encourage Letsile as he grew up in Kanye, a village about 50 miles from the capital, Gaborone.

Gaborone celebrates!

Letsile didn't need many words to pass on his message to the packed National Stadium in Gaborone -

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you start, everything is possible.