Can Tebogo Make History Again as the First African Man to Win a Diamond League Sprint Title?

After stunning the world with his Olympic gold in Paris, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo returns to the global stage with another chance to etch his name into the history books.

The stage this time is the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich.

The question now is simple: can he make history again?

Tebogo will contest the men’s 200m final, where victory would make him the first African man to win a Diamond League trophy in a short sprint event.

Joining Tebogo on the start line are two other African standouts, Liberian, Joseph Fahnbulleh and Udodi Onwuzurike of Nigeria, and both are equally poised to deliver a breakthrough moment for their nations.

No Liberian athlete has ever won a Diamond League trophy, and the reigning African 100m champion now carries the hopes of a nation eager to see its flag raised in athletics’ elite one day series.

Nigeria, meanwhile, has tasted Diamond League glory once before with Tobi Amusan, who blazed the trail with her historic win in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Now, Onwuzurike stands on the cusp of becoming the first Nigerian man to win a Diamond League title.

If he triumphs, he would also be the first African man to do so in a short sprint.

Historically, the Diamond League sprint titles have been dominated by athletes from the United States, Jamaica, and Canada.

The 100m and 200m events have seen champions like Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek, Christian Coleman, and Andre De Grasse. African sprinters have come close but never crossed the final threshold.

Kenyan, Ferdinand Omanyala came second in the 100m final in 2023 while Tebogo was beaten to the 200m gold in 2024.

A win for any of them would not only bring personal glory but also signal a new era for African sprinting on the world stage.