Karabo Letebele
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 9 December 2006 | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
Event | Sprint | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests |
| ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Karabo Letebele (born 9 December 2006) is a South African sprinter. In 2025, he became the African under-20 record holder over 60 metres.[1]
Early life
From Vanderbijlpark, Letebele was educated at Grey College High School in Bloemfontein. He was a keen footballer as well as track and field athlete before focusing on athletics.[2][3]
Career
In 2024, Letebele finished seventh in the 100 metres final at the 2024 ASA U20 Championships, and had a personal best of 10.45 seconds that year.[4]
Letebele recorded a win over 100 metres against African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala at Athletics South Africa’s Grand Prix on 12 March 2025, running 10.19 seconds for the win.[5][2] Later that month he won in a time of 10.18 seconds the 100 metres at the South African Youth, Junior & Senior Provincial Championships. [3] Letebele was runner-up to Bayanda Walaza in the 100 metres at the South African U20 Championships in Cape Town at the end of March 2025.[6] He ran 10.17 seconds for a fifth place finish at the 2025 senior South African Athletics Championships over 100 metres the following month.[7] That summer, he was a silver medalist over 100 metres at the 2025 African U20 Championships in Athletics in Abeokuta, Nigeria.[8]
In October 2025, still aged 18 years-old, he ran the 60 metres in 6.53 seconds in Potchefstroom and 6.54 seconds in Johannesburg, to break the African under-20 area record, and become the first South African to meet the automatic time for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships. The following month, he ran a new personal best of 10.11 seconds for the 100 metres in Sasolburg.[9][10][11] Competing in the United States in December 2025, he won the 60m at the New Balance Early Bird Invite, in a time of 6.59 seconds. After joining the University of Arkansas, he moved to third on their 60 metres all-time list in February 2026, running 6.55 seconds in Fayetteville, to move behind only Jordan Anthony and Jelani Watkins.[12] In February, he then ran 6.53 seconds at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship.[13]
In March 2026, he was selected for the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, but was unable to compete after not being granted the requisite VISA.[14][15]
References
- ^ "Karabo Letebele". World Athletics. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Rising sprinter Karabo Letebele caught between choosing a career in football or athletics". sabcsport. 22 March 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ a b "Karabo Letebele: 5 things you didn't know about South African sprinter who beat Ferdinand Omanyala". Pulse Sports. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Botton, Wesley (14 March 2025). "KARABO LETEBELE, SOUTH AFRICA'S LATEST SPRINT SENSATION, IS AIMING HIGH". Backtrack.co.za. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "ASA Athletics Grand Prix 1". World Athletics. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "South African U20 Championships". World Athletics. 27 March 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "South African Championships". World Athletics. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "Ochonogor soars championship record, Oratile secures gold medal treble in Abeokuta". World Athletics. 21 July 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "Letebele shocks the world at 18!". Worldwidescholadhip.com. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "ANCW League 13". World Athletics. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ "Karabo Letebele continues his surge with a new 100m personal best of 10.11s". Sports Corner. 8 November 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Long, Christina (February 24, 2026). "2 from Arkansas men's track and field earn SEC weekly honors". nwa. Retrieved 27 Feb 2026.
- ^ "Southeastern Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship". World Athletics. 26 Feb 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ "SA Team ready for World Indoor Champs, amid challenges". Super Sport. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ^ "Eight athletes make SA team for World Indoor Champs". Super Sport. 15 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.