“You can’t go home with two bad times” – Rogail Josephs on shock 200m victory

Speaking exclusively to SABC Sport, Josephs revealed the conversation she had with herself prior to the race.

“That was actually not the plan, because I ran the hurdles before that and the hurdles time was not that good. But I am patient with myself because I’m starting to learn a rhythm, and I believe and trust in myself that I will get it,” said Josephs

“The only thing that I told myself was, ‘Girl, you can't go home with two bad times. Now you have to run.’ I was shocked when I finished because I didn’t expect that, but I know that I can do it because I’ve really been training hard over the past few months.”

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Josephs finished 0.93 seconds ahead of the field, with Chardone Smidt (23.78) and Kaili Botje (24.37) placing second and third respectively. She said she was happy with her time, adding that she and her coach are on the right track with her speed. She used the 200m as a yardstick to assess her chances in her specialist event, the 400m hurdles.

The 25-year-old will remain in Potchefstroom as she prepares for the Hezekiel Sepeng Invitational next week. The track star says she will be looking to break her personal best time in the 100m while assessing how well she can do in the 400m.

For the remainder of the 2026 calendar Josephs added that the goal is to defend her title at the AFrican Championships and then she will turn her attention to the Commonwealth Games.