Last year also brought a third consecutive win in the SPAR Thembisa Mile |
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Thankful for all the success she has enjoyed on the track |
at the Gauteng North provincial championships on 13 March , leading from gun to tape in dominant fashion and smashing a new PB of 2:02.16 .
That saw her overjoyed coach doing his own victory dance , while his older brother , Olympic 800m silver medallist and now Athletics South Africa ( ASA ) Excellence Manager , Hezekiel Sepeng , said her performance gave him goosebumps . Then , after the race , Prudence came into contact with television media , shyly giving her first filmed interview that day , which was used by ASA as part of a documentary series on emerging talent in the sport that was to be aired on SABC .
Unfortunately , 13 March would also be the last time she would race for an entire year , as COVID shut down travel , venues and competition , and Prudence recalls how much that affected her . “ It was hard at first . We had worked so hard , we knew my 2:02 was coming , and both coach and I were ecstatic when I ran it , so we had such hopes for the rest of the year ,” she says . And those hopes were justified , too . That time made her a big favourite to win the World U20 Championship title in Nairobi later in 2020 . But like so many other events , that too was postponed .
But as the year progressed and lockdown stayed around , with no competitions taking place , Prudence realised that the forced time off from her athletic career was actually a blessing in disguise . “ I eased off on the training and focused on my Matric studies , and the enforced rest actually did my body good after four years of non-stop training and racing . I also came back so very hungry in 2021 .”
Dealing with Disappointment In 2021 , as the world and the sport emerged from lockdown , Prudence still qualified to race as a Junior , so she was still the out-and-out favourite to bring
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home the gold at the 2021 World U20 Championships , which had been postponed from 2020 . But then disappointment hit . Prior to the team leaving for Nairobi , she tested positive for COVID . “ I had no symptoms , I was training hard and well , and I was so excited for Worlds , so that was devastating ,” she says .
Coach Samuel was also dumbstruck . “ No shortness of breath , no tiredness . She was strong , she was healthy . We went and did a second test after we engaged with ASA , and it came back negative , so we did a third test . I was in Nairobi as ASA Coach and was engaging the team all the time . I showed the doctor the results , but she was not allowed to leave SA . We were upset . Really upset !” he recalls .
Upset is probably not the right word . Angry , furious , livid … that would better describe what Prudence felt . “ Yoh , I was so angry . I could not understand it , I was healthy , and the tests proved it . I was the favourite – I know I would have won – but I was denied the chance . My only chance after having missed out in 2020 .”
However , out of disappointment and anger came positive change , as Prudence channelled that anger into her training , with an attitude of “ I will show them !” She never actually said those words , but her actions made it very clear , and that angry determination brought about another change : Confidence . Not just on the track – that had been there for a while – but in what happens off the track , including becoming comfortable speaking to people and to the media . So , in a way , missing a year of competition and then also missing out on the World U20 Championships , may just have been the tonic needed for her to move up not just one step , but three or more notches in her athletic career .
Newfound Confidence Now , when you see Prudence walking , you notice that she walks with the air of a champion , exuding confidence and just that touch of arrogance . Not the
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Images : Reg Caldecott & courtesy Under Armour , Thembisa Mile |