South Africa's Prudence Sekgodiso (top) and Switzerland's Rachel Pellaud react after competing in the women's 800m heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris FILE. Prudence Sekgodiso may have got her tactics wrong on the day, but she can look back at the Paris Olympics with pride after making the final of the women’s 800m. Picture: Antonin Thuillier/AFP
Though it was not the conclusion to the Paris Olympics rising star Prudence Sekgodiso would have wanted, the young athlete will have gained some good experience after finishing last in the women’s 800m final on Monday.
Jostling for position and trying to stick with the top runners during the middle stages of the race ultimately cost Team SA’s Sekgodiso the chance to put in a final kick at the end.
Instead, the 22-year-old dropped from fourth position to eighth in the final straight.
Though her time of 1:58.79 was still good, it was a far cry from her Personal Best (PB) of 1:57.26 she ran in Morocco in May. Had Sekgodiso matched her or bettered her PB, she would have earned at least bronze.
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Sekgodiso finishes eighth at her first Olympic final 💪
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Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson claimed gold in 1:56.72, and trying to keep pace with her was perhaps Sekgodiso’s tactical mistake.
“The first 400 was slow for me,” Sekgodiso told TimesLive afterwards. “I feel like I wasted so much energy because I [was’] running lane two the whole time. And that’s my biggest mistake. I know my coach is going to fight with me about it.
“But yeah, it’s a lesson man. I learned and I’m going to, you know, take it and move on.”
Sekgodiso admitted some panic set in as she started to lose her position as the sprint for the finish began.
“I was [in the race for 700 metres]. That was the plan, just to stick with the girls. And yeah, you know, I’m not good in the final 100.
“But when I saw all the girls passing, I was like, ‘oh my word, what’s happening?’
“I’m just going to, you know, keep my head up and, you know, just finish the race. I’m so happy that I made it to the final as well.”
Though Sekgodiso did not manage the spectacular on this occasion, with at least two more Olympic Games ahead of her - there’s still every chance she could come closer to the phenomenal exploits of Caster Semenya in the two-lap event.