Prudence Sekgodiso left footprints where no other South African-born athlete had walked before, securing a gold medal in the women’s 800m at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Sunday.
Her triumph was not only the first for a South African female athlete at the championship but also marked a significant milestone in her career, as she secured her first major gold medal following several victories in junior and senior championships across the African continent.
The 23-year-old looked stronger with every stride from the heats forward and went on to defeat tough competition from Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew and Portugal’s Patrícia Silva, setting a world-leading time of 1:58.40 in the final.
Sekgodiso had missed out on the final of the women’s 800m at the Paris Olympics last year after finishing last. Speaking to Independent Media after her success, her coach, former South African middle-distance runner Samuel Sepeng, described their victory as a dream come true.
“For us as a team, this success is a dream come true,” Sepeng said, from Hong Kong on Monday.
“At the beginning of the season, we had a few indoor races in Europe, and through those races, we managed to break the South African record – that was our first achievement. After that, we planned to run sub-two minutes, and after achieving that, we decided to compete indoors because we knew we had a chance to win a medal – and we did it.
“We went to the World Indoor Championships with a clear goal. We weren’t there just to make up the numbers. We aimed for the final, and once we got there, we knew we could bring home a medal.”
South Africa does not have an indoor athletics facility, meaning Sekgodiso was up against athletes who are more accustomed to competing in such conditions. Nevertheless, Sekgodiso qualified for the final as the second-fastest competitor, just behind Switzerland’s Audrey Werro.
Sepeng added that despite venturing into relatively unknown territory, their past experiences and preparation paid off.
“Looking at our opponents, most of them have been competing indoors for years. But we took the approach that if they could do it, so could we, despite not having an indoor facility in South Africa.
“We trained hard and went to compete. There were no excuses – we are elite athletes, and we belong at this level. We went in with a positive mindset, believing we could win – and we did. It’s a huge achievement that, in our first attempt at gold, we brought it home,” he said.
