Coach T demands consistency from Sinesipho Dambile

By Charles Baloyi
19th June 2026

Reigning African Coach of the Year Thabo Matebedi, better known as Coach T, says he is happy with Sinesipho Dambile's recent performances in Europe, but insists there is still plenty of work to be done.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Matebedi said finishing on the podium is encouraging, but true success will come when Dambile consistently runs under the 20-second mark in his favourite event, the 200m.

The South African sprinter clocked 20.12 to finish second behind Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo at the Oslo Diamond League before producing a personal best and South African record of 14.78 in the 150m, where he finished behind Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles, who set a world best of 14.67.

Despite those impressive results, Coach T believes consistency is the next step in Dambile's development.

"Going to the 200m, we know now that, excluding the execution of the race, we have the confidence as the athlete and the coach and we believe in the training programme."

READ: Prudence Sekgodiso targets podium finish in Doha

Matebedi says he expected Noah Lyles to use his trademark pre-race antics to put pressure on Dambile during the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava. However, the coach had already prepared his athlete to stay focused.

"We knew Noach was going to do that and we were prepared for that. The plan was to stick with him for the first 50m, and then we know we can fight our own battle in the last 100m."

Coach T believes Dambile's strong performance in the 150m has given him confidence heading into tonight's Diamond League 200m in Doha, which starts at 8pm local time.

Dambile will face a quality field that includes Kyree King of the United States, Cheickna Traore of Ivory Coast, Alexander Ogando of the Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe's Makanakaishe and others.

The coach, who previously guided former world 200m bronze medallist Anaso Jobodwana, expects Dambile to finish his Diamond League campaign on a high by breaking the 20-second barrier before returning home to recover and prepare for the next phase of the season.

"The expectation in Doha is to run 19.60 and then we'll come back home to rebuild again because he's been competing overseas for almost a whole month."