It was an incredible night for South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso, Akani Simbine and Adriaan Wildschutt at the Wanda Diamond League meeting, in Oslo, on Thursday.
Sekgodiso in the women’s 800m and Simbine in the men’s 100m both claimed impressive victories, while Wildschutt broke his own SA record in the men’s 5000m.
Sekgodiso continued her fine form which saw her claim victory in the Diamond League event in Marrakesh to claim top honours once again.
The 22-year-old had a comfortable lead with 200 metres to go and despite a fast finish from Jamaica’s Natoya Goule-Toppin, Sekgodiso held on to win in 1:58.66.
Prudence Sekgodiso claims the second South African win in Oslo tonight 🥇![CDATA[]]>🥇
— 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
Many things to work on
“I just gave it my all. There is still so much more to come, I am only 22-years-old so still many things to work on,” said Sekgodiso.
“My work has just paid off and it is still going well towards the Olympic Games. I was prepared for this weather. I am happy with the way I ran. I did not chase the pace to be honest. This means a lot to me and I am ready for more.”
Earlier, Simbine notched up another fine victory in the men’s 100m.
Simbine, won in a season’s best of 9.94 from Japan’s Hakim Sani Brown (9.99). Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy was third in a season’s best of 10.03.
“It ended up in the rain which probably influenced the race but at the end of the day we all have to run 100m, rain or not, and get to the line first,” said Simbine.
“I did that today which I am happy with, but I have a lot to work on and a lot to do. I am happy with my performance and I hope there will be more highlights coming up as we build towards the Olympic Games.
“I put my marker out to the world today that I am here. The goal was the win today and I did that. Getting the win always helps with confidence as we get closer to Paris.”
Wildschutt was 13th in his fiercely-contested race, but improve dthe men’s 5000m South African record to 12:56.67 bettering on the mark he had previously set. No other SA runner has dipped below 13 minutes in the event on an outdoor track.