Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard.

This is the motto of the driven and determined athlete, Phetogo Sebonego (18), a matriculant of Potchefstroom Boys High who has set the local and national athletics tracks ablaze this year.

He is the u.19 boys North West champion in the 100- and 200-metres and qualified for the final at the SA School Championships – in other words, he is one of the top-eight fastest age group sprinters in the country. What makes these achievements all the more memorable is that this born and bred Potchefstroomer trains without any formal coaching, having been without a coach for the past year and a half.

“I normally use Youtube videos to train and I stick to training schedules based on previous coaching and what I see on the Internet. My training partner and friend, Ithumeleng Thobedi, helps me a lot with small details and techniques,” he said.

This simple yet effective strategy has worked fantastically for Phetogo who has clocked a time of 10.81 in the 100 metres and 21.40 in the 200 metres, with the latter being his preferred item.

“It’s important to push myself and to improve every time I go out onto the track. It is all about what you put in. If you put in a lot of effort you will see results,” he explained.

Phetogo has been in the athletics and sprinting spotlight since primary school, where he achieved a silver medal during the SA Schools competition in 2011.

“I started training in Grade 7 and started performing in Grade 9 under Gert Swanepoel, who was my former coach,” says the former SA Schools silver medalist. Since then, the hard working and disciplined Phetogo has been improving each year and has matured into not only a stellar athlete but a role model to other young athletes.

“All the teachers and coaches who have helped me along the way have definitely been my greatest influence. Every one of them has contributed to my development in some way.”

A Chartered Accountancy degree is next in the running for Phetogo who harbours big dreams for the future – a future where hard work will definitely take his many talents across the finish line in first place.