Team South Africa that participated at last week’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, has received a hero’s welcome at the O.R. Tambo International Airport today.
The team, comprising five members, won one gold and one bronze medal, including sprint sensation Akani Simbine and Prudence Sekgodiso.
The 23-year-old Sekgodiso clinched gold in the 800-meter race in a time of 1:58.40.
Addressing the media at the airport, Sekgodiso said she was surprised by her victory, as she made her debut in the indoor competition.
“Ever since I started training, I knew I was going to get a medal, my training was going well, smooth and I also ran the 800m before I left.
I knew I was going to get a medal, but the gold medal came as a shock,” said an elated athlete.
She faced stiff competition from athletes from east Africa, who have a history of dominating the race.
“The competition was amazing, we had the Ethiopians.
I thought they were going to win it, but I came first,” remarked Sekgodiso.
She’s hopeful that her time will improve during the outdoor championships, adding that for now, she wants to stay healthy and injury free.
Meanwhile, Simbine, acknowledged that the indoors are not his speciality, but that didn’t deter him from winning his first individual medal.
“It went well, and I came back home with a medal.
Yes, it’s my first world individual medal, which is great.
It’s like the one thing that everybody has been waiting for me to win.
But it doesn’t describe my career. Yes, I have a medal now, but there’s still more medals that I want to achieve,” remarked the veteran Olympic medallist.
Furthermore, the 31-year-old athlete said the win is a morale and confidence booster for him, ahead of the start of the track and field season.
He heaped praise on the country’s athletes, especially the men’s teams.
“The expectations have always been there, since 2015.
Now because we won an Olympic silver medal, it’s more.
I feel like South African sprinting right now is on a high, especially with the men.
The guys are running and competing well, and they’re given great performances.
It’s great that we have a group of guys that can run well, compete, and are also in a positive mindset and believe that we can do it as a team,” highlighted Simbine.
