TRACK & FIELD
Called to Coaching
Some 30 years after being inspired by his older brother ’ s Olympic success , middle-distance coach Samuel Sepeng is seeing his hard work and dedication help guide a number of his own athletes to the Olympics , and now he ’ s aiming for still more in 2028 . – BY WILHELM DE SWARDT with SEAN FALCONER
The two things motivating Samuel Sepeng every day when he goes to the athletics track to coach are making a difference in athletes ’ lives , and leaving a legacy in the sport . And the Tuks coach of the ACE Trust of TuksSport High School is well on his way to doing both . Seven of the athletes he coaches competed at the Paris Olympic Games earlier this year , with two of them reaching the finals in the 800 metres : Thepiso Masalela ( Botswana ) finished seventh in the men ’ s final , with a personal best time of 1:42.82 , and South Africa ’ s Prudence Sekgodiso finished eighth in the women ’ s race with a time of 1:58.79 .
Of course , anybody who has followed South African athletics for the past 30 years will know the name Sepeng well . That ’ s thanks mainly to Samuel ’ s older brother , Hezekiel , who famously won a silver medal in the 800m final at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta , USA , becoming the first non-white athlete from South Africa to win an Olympic medal in athletics after the country ’ s post-Apartheid readmission to world athletics .
In a glittering career , Hezekiel also claimed silver medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 World Champs , as well as a gold medal at the World University Games in 1995 ( and silver in 1997 ), a silver medal at the African Champs in 2004 , and a bronze medal at the 1999 All-African Games , along with many other wins , podiums , medals and accolades .
Inspired to Achieve
Samuel was nine years old when his brother won that silver medal in Atlanta , and that moment his brother crossed the finish line changed his life forever . The younger Sepeng promised himself that he would also win a medal at the Olympics ! Like his brother , he also competed in the 800m and 1500m events , and he was very good , but just not good enough . He represented South Africa as an under-18-athlete , but never quite made it as a senior athlete . So , he started to coach .
Passing on the wisdom of many years on the track
Coaching is genuinely a calling to Samuel , who has athletes from South Africa , Botswana and Australia in his training group . “ I coach to make a difference in athletes ’ lives , not money . Most of the athletes I coach don ’ t have money , so I have a clubhouse where I and
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