WATCH: World Indoor Champ Prudence Sekgodiso on almost walking away from athletics for good
“I was demotivated. I didn’t want to run anymore,” Olympic runner Prudence Sekgodiso tells Robert Marawa.
Coach Samuel Sepeng, athlete Prudence Sekgodiso and Robert Marawa. Photo: 947
Olympic runner Prudence Sekgodiso made history last month as the first South African woman to win a medal at the World Indoor Championships.
The 23-year-old running sensation took gold in the 800m event with a time of 1:58:40 in Nanjing, China.
Speaking to 947’s Robert Marawa, Sekgodiso reveals she almost walked away from it all in 2021.
She temporarily quit in 2021 after she was forced to withdraw from the World Athletics U20 Championship in Nairobi, Kenya due to a positive Covid-19 test.
Sekgodiso says despite a second test being negative, Athletics South Africa 'did nothing'.
“I was the favourite in the competition so I thought they were going to try and fight for me… But nobody was there for me except my coach.”
– Prudence Sekgodiso
“I almost gave up on the sport... I was demotivated. I didn’t want to run anymore… They had to encourage me to come back… [then] I went back to the track and did some amazing stuff… Here I am, World Indoor Champion.”
– Prudence Sekgodiso
Fast-forward four years later, Sekgodiso is National, Continental and World Champion in addition to being an Olympian.
Despite not walking away with a medal, she says she learned a lot from the experience.
“The plan was to make it to the final and we did that. We were proud.”
– Prudence Sekgodiso
Watch the interview below: