Sekgodiso makes history by claiming gold at indoor champs

Prudence Sekgodiso won SA’s first women’s medal at a world indoor championships yesterday and she did it in style as she sprinted to victory in the 800m in a world-leading time in Nanjing, China.

The 23-year-old slotted in at fourth on the first lap and then moved up to third on the second lap and then took second on the third 200m lap.

Sekgodiso, who made the final at last year's Olympics, had looked comfortable in her semifinal on Saturday as she breezed around the four 200m laps to finish second in 2min 01.21sec. But she was even better yesterday to claim a first gold at the indoor championships.

Then Sekgodiso, a finalist at the Paris Olympics, attacked again on the home straight and sprinted ahead without any of her rivals responding and she stormed towards the finish line to win in 1 min 58.40 sec, by more than a second. 

Ethiopian Nigist Getachew was second in a 1:59.63 personal best with Patricia Silva of Portugal third in a 1:59.80 national record.

Sekgodiso had started the race seeded second behind defending champion Tsige Duguma, the second Ethiopian in the field, having set her 1:59.88 South African record in France and against in Germany in February.

But yesterday Sekgodiso found another gear that left her competitors without reply.

The result will give her a massive confidence boost as she turns her attention to the outdoor season, with the prize being at the world championships in Tokyo in September. 

Sekgodiso's medal followed that of sprinter Akani Simbine, who clinched the first individual global medal of his career when he ended third in the 60m at the indoor championships.

Simbine, the anchor of the SA men’s 4x100m relay team that won Olympic silver in Paris, had never won a major individual medal, narrowly missing out on no fewer than six occasions.

This time he made no mistake, lifting his overall ranking through the rounds, starting with sixth in the heats and fourth in the semifinals and third in the final. 

Simbine ended second in the semifinals, clocking a 6.53 personal best behind Benitez in 6.52.

Simbine had finished fourth in the 100m in two Olympic finals and one world championship final, while also finishing fifth at one Olympics and two world championships.