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Olympics 200m champion Letsile Tebogo has hit out at the latest episode of Netflix documentary SPRINT which he feels is biased towards African athletes.
Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo has expressed his displeasure at the latest episode of the Netflix documentary SPRINT.
The documentary, which gives fans an inside look into the lives of some of the world’s top athletes, had its Season 1 premier in July and Season 2 on Wednesday and it received varied views.
The docuseries features Olympians Tebogo, Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Fred Kerley, Kishane Thompson, Julien Alfred, Kenny Bednarek, Shericka Jackson and Oblique Seville, among others but it has been criticized for heavily leaning on the American runners.
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14:58 - 10.11.2024
Ferdinand Omanyala, Letsile Tebogo, Noah Lyles & Co learn relay qualification path, setting stage for epic battles
Top athletes including Ferdinand Omanyala, Mary Moraa, Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo have learnt the qualification criteria for the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou as they compete for spots in the Tokyo World Championships.
Tebogo for instance is not mentioned in Season 1 and in Season 2, it is after 22 minutes that he is introduced, with very little of him in the docuseries, in which he acts more of a supporting cast to the American sprinters, especially Lyles.
That decision has not gone down well with the Olympics 200m champion, who started the season as world silver medalist in 100m and bronze medalist in 200m, before going on to make history with his Olympics gold in Paris.
“This is an American show,” a disappointed Tebogo posted on social media after watching the show, hours after he had expressed excitement about the docuseries.
His sentiments mirror those of Africa’s fastest woman Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, who slammed the producers in September for disrespecting her and Africa by not featuring her in Season 1 despite following and filming her all season round.
“I feel really disrespected because when you say you are going to produce a series about the fastest sprinters in the world, you should show [feature] everyone, not only those who win,” Ta Lou-Smith told The Inside Lane.
“Track and field is not only about winning, it is also about people who overcome different situations, good or bad. So, if you want to show the real life of track and field, show everything, don’t leave out others.
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19:12 - 14.09.2024
‘I deserve respect’ – Africa’s fastest woman slams Netflix for excluding her from SPRINT documentary
The veteran sprinter has slammed producers of the Netflix documentary SPRINT for not showing her respect after she was excluded from the final edit despite being filmed all year round.
“Do not follow people for many hours, record them and just show the people who win, this is not good. I am the African record holder I deserve respect,” she added.
Tebogo’s sentiments will likely spark a reaction among African fans over the treatment their biggest stars have been subjected to in the popular SPRINT documentary.
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