St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo were crowned the best female and male athletes of the year, respectively, at the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Awards.
The ceremony was held on Wednesday in Cascais, Portugal, and recognized their remarkable achievements at the 2024 Paris Olympics held last summer, Olympics reported.
Alfred and Tebogo made history in Paris as both clinched gold medals for their nations.
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The St Lucia sprinter took home gold in the women’s 100m final with a blazing 10.72-second finish, edging USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson.
Tebogo on the other hand earned his place in Olympic history by winning gold in the men’s 200m final and became the first African sprinter to secure gold in that event.
The awards ceremony showcased both athletes’ memorable styles on the red carpet, and the two black sprinters were the major talking points of the event as they stunned in their outfits.
Julien Alfred and Letsile Tebogo’s Olympic victories are not just for their individual careers. Their impressive feats stand even more significant as they represent the first-ever Olympic gold medals for their respective countries.
Back home in Botswana and in St Lucia, Tebogo and Alfred are seen as trailblazers in the track events after their exploits this year.
Tebogo expressed delight after securing his award and said it meant a great deal to him to be recognized by one of the world’s biggest athletics platforms. “It means a lot to me to be recognized by ANOC; it motivates me to keep on pushing,” he told Olympics.com.
Other honorees included six-time Olympic table tennis champion Ma Long of China and New Zealand canoeist Lisa Carrington, an eight-time Olympic gold medalist, who were both celebrated for their outstanding careers.
