TRACK & FIELD most of the senior athletes stay , and I buy the food for all of us ,” he explains . “ To see my athletes happy and achieve their goals is my reward . There are days when , as a coach , I am down , but everything changes when I step onto the track . It is as if I am where I need to be . I make sure there is a smile on my face , and I have been told the athletes consider me a funny coach , a friend and a father .”
Brotherly Inspiration
As a nine-year-old , Samuel Sepeng watched his brother Hezekiel win the silver medal in the men ’ s 800m final at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the USA , and that has inspired him throughout his own career as an athlete and coach .
Sekgodiso is one of the great success stories of Samuel ’ s coaching career thus far , with 2024 representing breakout year for her . She won her first Diamond League title in May , when she won the 800m in Marrakech in 1:57.26 , which was the fastest time of the year in the world up to that point , as well as a new personal best for her . Sekogodiso then placed eighth in that Olympic final in Paris , but Samuel says his fondest memory of coaching her was when he went to meet her parents . “ She comes from a poor background , and I promised her parents we would return to build them a big house . To see that house now makes me a proud coach !”
Samuel is a self-proclaimed sports nut . He often watches rugby , cricket or football when he has free time , and he is a big fan of the Springboks , as he was a keen rugby player at school . Cars are his other big passion , and there is nothing he loves more than to restore old cars . He drives a Volkswagen Jetta that he has restored , and he is currently busy fixing up a Volkswagen Microbus . Once that project is finished , it will become a mode of transport for him and his athletes to get to more races or meets .
Olympic Medals
Samuel was in Paris for the Olympics , and describes that as a highlight of the year . “ From a personal perspective , being at the Paris Games with my brother was a dream come true , but it is not mission accomplished , as one brother has a medal and the other does not .” What he means is that he believes fervently that one of his athletes will medal at the next Olympics in 2028 . “ Paris was a learning curve for me and my athletes . Knowing now what the Games is about means the real journey starts from next year . The immediate goal is to get an athlete to medal .”
Adding still more to the storied Sepeng legacy in SA athletics
Thanks , Coach !
A look back to when South Africa ’ s Prudence Sekgodiso clocked a world leading 800m time in the Wanda Diamond League meet in Marrakech in May 2024 .
Interviewed immediately after setting that personal best and world leader in Marrakech , the first person Prudence really wanted to speak to was her coach , Samuel Sepeng .
Images : Reg Caldecott
This article is based on a press releases sent out by the Department of Sport ( TuksSport ) at the University of Pretoria . More info at www . up . ac . za / tukssport .
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