Paris gold medallist Letsile Tebogo will race at Melbourne’s Maurie Plant athletics meet.

A reigning Olympic sprint champion will race in Australia in March in a coup for an event that has a long history.

Paris gold medallist Letsile Tebogo lives to “push my limits” and that won’t change when the Olympic 200m champion takes to the track in Melbourne in March as the star attraction at the Maurie Plant Meet.

Tebogo, 21, became Botswana’s first Olympic gold medallist in Paris and was crowned World Athletics’ male athlete of the year in 2024.

His winning time in Paris made Tebogo the fifth fastest man in history over 200m.

He won’t compete in the 200m in Melbourne, choosing instead to test himself in the 400m at his first race in Australia

“Starting the season with this long-distance challenge will set the stage for what’s ahead,” he said on Tuesday.

“I’m ready to push my limits and make every moment count.

Letsile Tebogo x Maurie Plant Meet 🇧🇼⚡️

“I’m looking forward to the electric support of the Australian crowd, let's make it a race to remember!”

Tickets on sale NOW ‼️#AthleticsNation#ContinentalTourGold#VisitMelbourne#VisitVictoria#ChangeOurGamehttps://t.co/243ZfmJamK

— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) January 13, 2025

“I’m excited to compete for the very first time in Australia and open my 2025 season … I’m looking forward to the electric support of the Australian crowd, let’s make it a race to remember.”

Tebogo won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics as part of Botswana’s 4x400m relay team, evidence of his credentials in the longer event.

He will be joined at the meet by his silver-medal winning relay teammate from Paris, Bayapo Ndori, and compatriots.

The Maurie Plant Meet is the first of 13 World Athletics continental tour gold events this year, a rung below the Diamond League in status.

It has undergone a host of name changes since the inaugural Alcoa Challenge Series in 1980.

Originally published as Paris gold medallist Letsile Tebogo will race at Melbourne’s Maurie Plant athletics meet.