Prudence Sekgodiso won South Africa’s first World Indoor gold when she took the 800 metres title at the 2025 Championships in Nanjing, China.
She discusses that victory, and her belief that it will lead to more titles. Prudence also describes wanting to quit the sport in 2021, after a positive test for Covid prevented her from competing at that year’s World under-20 Championships. She explains what happened, and who was there for her when she needed support.
Growing up, there was no running track in her village – just gravel. The possibility that running could be her career didn’t seem like a reality until she moved to Pretoria. Her first national senior title soon followed at the age of just 17.
Prudence is coached by Caster Semenya’s former coach. She says that what Caster achieved in the sport is an inspiration to her. They also competed together at the World Cross Country Championships where Prudence experienced first-hand how good Semenya was at motivating their team. Prudence takes us back to the last edition of the World Championships. In Budapest in 2023 she experienced the nightmare of falling in the semi-final.
She resolved to learn from that set-back as she looked to the Paris Olympic Games. The crowd at the Stade de France was so loud it made her nervous, and she was also aware of the weight of expectation from South Africans who wanted her to do well. Whilst she was prepared physically for the Olympics, she now knows that she wasn’t mentally ready. Every goal, every success and every set-back is written down in her notebooks. They’re a key part of how Prudence prepares and how she wins.
She speaks candidly about how life on the circuit can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when her coach is unable to join her at every Diamond League meet. We discuss the importance of family and how, even if they only see each other a couple of times a year, her mother is a key part of her life. She’s the one Prudence always calls pre-race and the person she sends a video of the race to afterwards.
Prudence believes she will break Caster Semenya’s South African record at some stage, which she knows will take her close to the long-standing 800 metres world record. She’s also interested in running more 1500 metres races and might look to double at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Prudence knows what it means to South Africans to see a black woman after Caster holding the flag high and she knows that the country is proud of her.
Image: First placed Prudence Sekgodiso of Team South Africa celebrates winning the Women's 800 Metres final on day three of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2025 at Nanjing Youth Olympic Games Sports Park on March 23, 2025 in Nanjing, China. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)