Local athletes bring home medals
Simbine, who like Sekgodiso, was making his debut at the Indoor Championships, was delighted with his result.
Prudence Sekgodiso and former Edenglen High learner Akani Simbine landed at the OR Tambo International Airport with big smiles after a successful trip to the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
The national team returned home to a small but vibrant group of supporters after winning two medals.
At the biennial showpiece, Sekgodiso secured gold in the women’s 800m race, while Akani Simbine earned bronze in the men’s 60m sprint.
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Sekgodiso admitted she was surprised to have won the global title, after launching a stunning kick on the final lap to clock 1:58.40. She set the fastest time in the world this year on that day and broke her short-track national record.
“I knew I was going to medal, but the gold medal came as a shock,” Sekgodiso said.
“The competition was amazing, and I thought the Ethiopian athletes would win, but here I am as the world indoor champion. On the outdoor circuit this year I think I will do even better.
“The plan is to run 1:55 by the end of this year, so now I’m going back to my training and I think everything will come together.”
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Simbine, who like Sekgodiso, was making his debut at the championships, was delighted with his result. The experienced sprinter clocked 6.53 seconds, equalling his personal best to take third place in the 60m final.
“My coach and I decided to do indoors for the first time this season, but for us it was more a case of trying to figure something out with my start,” Simbine said.
“We went into the world champs to see what happens and figure it out round by round. We didn’t have any expectations because there are people who are 60m specialists. But it went well and I came back with my first global individual medal, which is great.
“It doesn’t describe my career, though, because there are still more medals I want to get and more things I want to achieve. This is still a great confidence booster for me and my team.”
Cheswill Johnson, who didn’t make it to the podium in his beloved long jump, said: “The body just does that at times and just refuses to cooperate.
“I have done well at other times on the world stage, beating some of the top performers. I need my coach when travelling overseas. Long jump is too specialised so I need my coach to correct me on things I cannot see.”
Team manager Tracy Olivier was pleased with the SA squad’s results, as two of the four athletes in the team returned home with medals around their necks. “It was a good championship. We have brought back medals, so it was very successful for us,” Olivier said.
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“It’s also rewarding and encouraging to see how popular the South African athletes are in China. The people kept stopping our athletes to greet them and ask for photos. Thank you to Athletics South Africa for giving them this opportunity.”
Athletics South Africa president, James Moloi was present at the airport. He said he expected more SA athletes to compete on the international indoor circuit in future, based on the success of Sekgodiso and Simbine.
“Our athletes have performed well. It was the first time Akani and Prudence were competing in the World Athletics Indoor Championships, and they did not let us down. They were excellent,” Moloi said.
