Kesa Molotsane praises standout performances by South African athletes in Europe

World Indoor 800m champion Prudence Sekgodiso stole the spotlight at the WACT Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Tuesday night, setting a new meeting record with a blistering 1:57.16 — comfortably under the World Championships qualifying mark of 1:59.00.

Ryan Mphahlele also secured his spot at the global championships by running 3:32.27 in the 1500m at the Anhalt meeting in Germany, dipping below the qualifying standard of 3:33.00. At the same event, Tsebo Matsoso clocked a personal best of 10.03 seconds to finish second in the men’s 100m.

Meanwhile, Gardeo Isaacs claimed victory in his 400m race with a time of 44.47, while Charne Swart (javelin), Jovial Mbishe (100m), and Douw Smit (800m) delivered strong performances in their respective disciplines.

Marione Fourie also impressed, finishing second in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 12.60 in Hengelo.

“It’s been exciting to witness what South African athletes have achieved over the past few weeks—they’ve kicked off the season with a bang,” said Molotsane in an interview with SABC Sport.

“The performances in June alone have been outstanding. Marione Fourie has consistently delivered sub-13-second times, both locally and abroad. Our sprinters—Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, and Benjamin Richardson—impressed in Jamaica. Tshepo Tshite finally broke the long-standing national 1500m record held by Johan Cronje, a performance we’ve been anticipating for some time.

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And what Prudence Sekgodiso achieved at the Golden Spike meet in Ostrava was phenomenal—I believe it could be an African record.”

Molotsane is looking forward to seeing what Sekgodiso will deliver at the upcoming Diamond League meeting in Eugene, USA, on 5 July. 

She will be joined by a strong contingent of South African athletes, including sprint star Akani Simbine, who will also be competing in the United States.

“Her next stop is Eugene, and we wish her and her coach Samuel Sepeng all the best.

She’s been representing us with pride, and we want to give them their flowers for their hard work. 

South African athletes are performing well across multiple disciplines—from shot put to middle- and long-distance events—and we’re even seeing international athletes coming to compete in our country,” said Molotsane.

“We also want to congratulate Smit on his personal best javelin throw of 84.12m in Ostrava on Tuesday."