FEATURE
DISO
“ Physically, I ' m good – just doing some smart management to ensure I ' m peaking at the right time … It ' s definitely fuelling my fire for the outdoor season!”
Sekgodiso is hopeful she’ ll come back stronger. She’ s tasted victory so many times before, after all – winning national titles since the age of 17, when she claimed her first 800m crown at the South African National Track and Field Championships in 2019. Since then, she has added multiple national titles across the 800m and 1500m distances, and even experimented with longer distances like the 5000m, although she admits that event is not for her. Her outdoor 800m personal best of 1:57.16, set in Ostrava in 2025, confirmed her ability to mix it with the very best.
“ I ' m hungrier than ever to get back out there and show what I can do. The Commonwealth Games are a huge goal for me. I ' m hoping to bring home a medal.”
While there are no outdoor world championships or Olympic Games to look forward to this year, the Commonwealth Games, which take place in Glasgow this July / August, have become the major focus. At the last Games in Birmingham in 2022, despite running a faster time than England’ s eventual silver medallist( and now Olympic champion) Keely Hodgkinson in the opening round, Sekgodiso missed out on the final because of her lower placing in a faster heat.
So there is some unfinished business to take care of.
Hodgkinson looks to be in sensational early form, having recently broken the indoor world record that had stood for 24 years with a time of 1:54.87. But Sekgodiso is not intimidated. Instead, it’ s fuelling her fire even further.
“ Keely ' s record is awesome. She ' s a top athlete, and it ' s great to see the bar being pushed,” said the middle-distance star.“ It definitely gives me a kick to aim higher.”
While not defending her world title wasn’ t part of the original plan, Sekgodiso remains positive she’ s well on her way to getting her season back on track.
“ For me, it ' s about focusing on the process, not the outcome. I remind myself why I started doing this, and what I ' m working towards. It ' s about taking it one step at a time, staying positive and healthy.” www. modernathlete. co. za 9