Samuel Sepeng says it’s an honour to win award with Caster and Prudence

Sepeng, who accepted the Sportswoman of the Year trophy on behalf of Sekgodiso at the SA Sports Awards in Sun City on Sunday night, described the moment as a dream come true.

He won Coach of the Year in 2018 while coaching Semenya, and eight years later, he has seen his discovery – Sekgodiso, win one of the country’s biggest sporting awards.

"This is a dream come true. I even remember when I won the coach of the year award in 2018, but as a coach I always said that I have to produce top talent, so winning awards with Caster and Prudence is a dream come true."

Sepeng, the younger brother of 1996 Olympic 800m silver medallist Hezekiel Sepeng, also recalled how he convinced Sekgodiso not to give up on athletics after she tested positive for Covid-19 at the World Junior Championships in the USA in 2021.

At the time, Sekgodiso was enjoying a breakthrough season, but Sepeng helped her stay focused and continue her journey. 

Today, she is a consistent sub-two-minute 800m runner.

"It is an honour to have found a talent like Prudence. She wanted to quit running after testing positive for Covid in 2021 because she was one of the favourites to win the World Junior Championships back then. I needed to convince her to see the bigger picture, and now she has progressed so much as an athlete."

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Sepeng, who leads the Sepeng training group at the University of Pretoria, says he and Sekgodiso always believed she could reach an Olympic final.

That dream became a reality at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Sepeng believes their journey is continuing in the right direction.

The North West-born coach is confident that Sekgodiso can follow in the footsteps of Semenya and leave her own mark on the 800m event in South Africa and around the world.