The 2012 Summer Olympics marked Tsepo Ramonene's début. He qualified for the Games because his fastest time, two hours, 16 minutes and 36 seconds set in the 2012 Steinmetz Gaborone Marathon, met the "B" standard qualifying time for the men's marathon. Ramonene said that he was happy to participate in the event because he wanted to win a medal for Lesotho. He competed in the men's marathon on 12 August, finishing 85th (and last) of all finishers, with a time of two hours, 55 minutes and 54 seconds. Ramonene stopped several times on his run, and reduced his pace when approaching The Mall and medical personnel were required to revive him. Ramonene was the slowest Olympic men's marathon runner since the 2000 Sydney Games. In an interview with NBC Sports in 2016, he said he was not tempted to use the bailout bus, but that cheers from the crowd encouraged him to complete the race.