Tshepo Tshite confirmed for Eugene Diamond League

The national 3000m record holder has enjoyed an outstanding season, broken national records and produced impressive performances on the international stage.

Tshite grabbed headlines with a memorable victory at the LA Grand Prix, where he clocked 7:37.57 to win the 3000m ahead of American Olympic champion Cole Hocker, who finished in 7:37.77. 

He also narrowly missed breaking his own South African 1500m record after finishing fifth at the Rabat Diamond League in a time of 3:31.53.

Despite his recent success, coach Samuel Sepeng says consistency remains the biggest priority and has urged Tshite to stay focused and keep improving.

Sepeng believes the Eugene Diamond League provides the perfect opportunity for Tshite to chase another fast time, with one of the strongest middle-distance fields in the world expected to compete.

He says the quality of the race should help the 29-year-old produce another world-class performance.

"Eugene is going to take part in a good field and some of them want to go for the World Record, and we want to run the time as well. Our focus is to respond to their time and their moves during the race, and we know if things go well he will get another national record. Reaching the top five and the podium is going to take a lot of work."

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Sepeng says Tshite has matured significantly since reaching the Olympic 1500m final in Paris two years ago.

He believes the experience has helped the athlete become mentally stronger and more confident in major international competitions.

With the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) expected to announce the final team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which will run from 23 July to 2 August, Sepeng confirmed that Tshite's focus will be on the 5000m event.