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Teenage sprinter Viwe Jingqi remains adamant that she has a long road ahead to achieve a complete recovery, despite a victorious start in her first competitive race of the year.
The 19-year-old teenage sensation, reigning as South African 100m and 200m junior champion, posted an impressive time of 23.55 seconds to secure the senior women’s title at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Continental Tour Challenger Grand Prix 1 in Potchefstroom on Thursday.
Jingqi has been grappling with a persistent knee injury, which sidelined her for several months last year.
Speaking to SABC Sport, she expressed her contentment at returning to competition but emphasized that she is still a work in progress, far from reaching her peak performance level.
''I'm not race fit, because this is my second 200m. I didn't expect to come back like this with all the challenges I faced last year.
''The rehab helped me a lot, if it wasn't for the rehab I would not be here today,'' said Jingqi.
At just 19 years old, Jingqi, under the mentorship of the esteemed South African sprint coach Paul Gorries at North West University, has aspirations of qualifying for the Paris Olympics in July/August.
Eager to immerse herself in the pinnacle of global competition at a tender age, she aims to gain invaluable experience from the world’s grandest stage.
''That's the real plan for this year, who doesn't want to go to the Olympics - it is still my goal to qualify,'' added Jingqi.
Jingqi, who underwent an appendix operation, revealed to the national broadcaster that she encountered moments of frustration during the ordeal, necessitating the assistance of professionals to navigate the most challenging period of her career.
The setback caused by the injury proved overwhelming for her to handle.
''There was a lot that was going on, I was faced with depression, going to different psychologists
''If it wasn't for the support and reminding myself as to why I started this - I would not be here,'' she concluded.
Last year, Jingqi and her teammate, along with their head coach Paul Gorries, moved from Tshwane to Potchefstroom.
However, the Eastern Cape athlete admits to still grappling with the adjustment of being situated in the North West Province, especially after spending three years at the University of Pretoria.
