Samuel Sepeng celebrates award shared with Semenya and Sekgodiso

Samuel Sepeng described it as a major personal honour after accepting the Sportswoman of the Year trophy for Prudence Sekgodiso at the SA Sports Awards in Sun City on Sunday night. The coach said the recognition marked a dream fulfilled through his work with Sekgodiso and former athlete Caster Semenya.

Sepeng previously won Coach of the Year at the same awards in 2018 while working with Semenya. Eight years later, he was part of another winning moment after Sekgodiso, an athlete he discovered and developed, received one of South Africa’s leading sporting honours.

The coach’s relationship with Sekgodiso also includes a difficult period early in her career. She considered leaving athletics after testing positive for Covid-19 at the 2021 World Junior Championships in the United States. She had entered the event as one of the leading contenders, but Sepeng persuaded her to continue and focus on the longer path of her career.

Sekgodiso has since made significant progress under his guidance. Sepeng, the younger brother of 1996 Olympic 800m silver medallist Hezekiel Sepeng, said it was an honour to have identified her talent and helped keep her in the sport.

The coach and athlete had long believed that Sekgodiso could reach an Olympic final. That target was achieved at the Paris 2024 Olympics, providing another milestone in a partnership that began after her early breakthrough and continued through the setback in 2021.

Sepeng now believes Sekgodiso’s development is moving in the right direction. He runs the Sepeng training group at the University of Pretoria and is confident that she can build her own legacy in the 800m, following Semenya’s impact on the event in South Africa and internationally.