The President of Botswana Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi had declared a half-day off to honour the country's athlete Letsile Tebogo, who won the 200m race gold at the ongoing Olympics in Paris.
Tebogo is the first African to win the 200m Olympic gold medal in the history of the Olympics.
President Masisi underscores Tebogo's feat as ''markedly outstanding and deserving of the nation to pause and celebrate him in a most unique, appropriate and responsible manner.''
Letsile Tebogo won the gold on Thursday beating other runners, including American Kenny Bednarek who got silver.
Tebogo, 21, led wire-to-wire and won in 19.46 seconds, the fourth-fastest time in history.
Tebogo's achievement will be "etched in the annals of the history of the republic", the president said.
Tribute to mother
Videos shared on social media showed students at the University of Botswana dancing and singing into the night, while people across the southern African nation posted their pride on X and Facebook.
"History made!" Masisi said on his X account. "My voice is completely gone thanks to the phenomenal #LetsileTebogo."
Masisi also paid tribute to Tebogo's mother, his greatest fan, who died in May.
She had faithfully followed her son around , slipping into Budapest without Tebogo knowing to watch him become the first male Botswanan athlete to win world championship medals last year.
Tebogo is only the second athlete from Africa to win a medal in the 200m and the first ever to take gold.
Namibian Frankie Fredericks won silver in Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996.
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