Vatican, 29 August, 2024 / 6:25 pm (ACI Africa).
At the end of Wednesday, August 28 General Audience, Pope Francis greeted Letsile Tebogo, the young man from Botswana, who won gold in the 200-meter sprint in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Tebogo, who is 21, had the opportunity to meet the Holy Father and made a special request: he asked Pope Francis to sign the sneakers he wore during the race in Paris, which had his mother Elizabeth Seratiwa’s birthdate and initials engraved on them. She passed away on May 18, shortly before the competition.
The young athlete told Pope Francis that his mother, who died after battling breast cancer, was very devout.
After listening to his story and congratulating him on his medal, the Holy Father signed and blessed the orange sneakers.
Following his mother’s death, Tebogo had considered leaving the sport. He asked the Pope to pray for Elizabeth’s soul and said he competed in her honor.
