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South African middle-distance sensation Prudence Sekgodiso has set her sights on shattering the 800m and 1500m national records currently held by Caster Semenya.
Semenya’s records currently stand at 1:54:25 in the 800m and 3:59:92 in the 1 500m, and Sekgodiso – reigning champion in both disciplines – is now gearing up to embark on a journey to Europe, fuelled by her ambition to rewrite the record books.
She recently broke the two-minute barrier at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Continental Tour Challenger Grand Prix Series hosted at the Tuks Athletics Stadium, where she clocked 1:59:93 – just over five seconds off the record.
"The plan is to run 1 500m, I want that SA record as well – 3:59:92, I want it. I'm going to speak to my agent and then try to squeeze in the 1 500m as well," said Sekgodiso.
"I'm not scared of anything, I can race in Europe against the other big-name athlete. As long as I just follow them and run that time, I'm all good.
"But that [record] is my long-term goal. If I say I'm going to break it now, it will be [a lot of] pressure and I'm going to put pressure on myself. I'm still young anyways, so I think I'll get there."
With hopes of making the 800m final at the Paris Games later this year, Sekgodiso also wants to defend her 800m national title, while attempting her maiden 5 000m event at the upcoming ASA Senior Track and Field Championships in Pietermaritzburg next month.
"My plan is to run the SA's, and then we'll take a bit of a break, and have a little training camp, because at the SA's, I'm going to do the 5 000m and 1 500m – we're going to the long distances now," she revealed.
"From now on, I'm going to run in both of them [events]. I know it's a bit tricky, but we're going for the two at the SA's."
