South Africa's 800m rising star Prudence Sekgodiso will line up for the Wanda Diamond League final on Friday night in Brussels.
Sekgodiso cut through to the final of the two-lap contest after she clinched the first place in two Diamond League races, first in Marrakesh, Morocco, in a world-leading time of 1:57.26 and then in Oslo, Norway, running 1:58.66.
Prudence Sekgodiso claims the second South African win in Oslo tonight 🥇🥇
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) May 30, 2024
Watch as she cruises to victory in the women's 800m 👇
📺 Stream #DiamondLeague💎 live: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw pic.twitter.com/56VyNawQN2
Earlier this month she made her third appearance in the competition in Zurich, Switzerland, where she finished in sixth place, clocking a time of 1:58.90.
The 22-year-old Olympic finalist will fancy her chances for the 2024 crown in a strong field graced by the likes of 2022 champion Mary Moraa of Kenya.
In a phenomenal season marked by ten sub-2 minutes performances, Sekgodiso’s coach Samuel Sepeng believes that she is ready for one last push.
“All the preparations for the Diamond League final have been going well. With her team's support, she has managed to stay injury free, she is ready for tomorrow,” said Sepeng.
According to Sepeng, Sekgodiso's dream season started with making the Olympics Games team and getting to the final.
He added that the Diamond League final is something they have been working hard towards.
“We are in the final of one of the biggest competitions in the world. Prudence is very excited as it was one of her goals for 2024 to run in the Diamond League final."
The rising middle-distance runner has made three Diamond League appearances so far and she possesses seven national titles, winning her first in the women's 800m at the 2019 championships when she was only 17 years old.
Now facing one of her biggest assignments in Brussels, Sepeng said that he reminded her of how far she has come and to stay calm ahead of the final.
“She knows how good she is and that she has done all she could to be ready for the final challenge,” he concluded.
© Vuyo Ndudane