28 August, 2024

Golden Gala: Tebogo welcomed by Pope Francis

The Olympic champion of the 200 meters, who will compete in the 100 meters in Rome on Friday evening, was received at the Vatican: 'A prayer for my mother who has passed away.' The Holy Father's signature on the Paris shoe

Letsile Tebogo, Olympic champion in the 200 meters and silver medallist in the 4x400 relay with his team from Botswana, was received this morning by Pope Francis at the Vatican. With him was Ukrainian athlete Anna Ryzhykova, bronze medallist in the 4x400 relay at the 2012 London Games. Tebogo, who will be racing in the 100 meters at the Olympic Stadium of Rome for the Golden Gala on Friday, August 30, asked the Pope for a prayer for his mother, Elizabeth Seratiwa, who passed away last May 18 (she was 43 years old). He also showed him the shoes he wore to win the Olympics in Paris, on which are engraved the initials of his mother's name and her birthdate (December 23, 1980). In turn, Ryzhykova asked Pope Francis to bless her shirt, sharing a prayer for her Ukrainian people who are suffering because of the war. As a sign of friendship, the Pope signed Tebogo's shoes and Ryzhykova's shirt".