Prudence Sekgodiso wins the world indoor 800m title in Nanjing (© Sona Maleterova)
South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso ran a world-leading indoor national record to win her country’s first women’s world indoor medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25.
The Olympic finalist clocked 1:58.40, her strong finish seeing her surge away to win gold ahead of Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew and Portugal’s Patricia Silva. They all had the indoor races of their lives, Getachew running 1:59.63 and Silva an indoor national record of 1:59.80.
Sekgodiso delivered one of the biggest upsets at the WIC Nanjing 25, flipping the script to upstage Ethiopia’s defending champion and Paris Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma to claim victory.
The event had already proven unpredictable, with several top contenders falling short in the semifinals, including US indoor champion Nia Akins and Olympic finalist Shafiqua Maloney. This set the stage for a somewhat unexpected outcome in the final.
Duguma and her teammate Getachew set a fast pace from the start, surging ahead in the first 200m with Getachew taking the lead and dictating the tempo.
The South African nearly stumbled while attempting to catch up with the Ethiopian duo but quickly regained her balance and composure. Finding her rhythm, she stayed close behind the leading pair. As the fast pace began to wear down her rivals, Sekgodiso capitalised on their fatigue, surging past them to seize control of the race.
The Olympic finalist was unstoppable as she sped towards the finish line to improve on her previous national record of 1:59.88 set in Karlsruhe and equalled in Lievin. Her medal was her country’s first gold at the WIC Nanjing 25.
Sekgodiso’s winning time is her fourth sub-two-minute run of the season and so fast was the race that even fourth- and fifth-place finishers Switzerland’s Audrey Werro and newly crowned European indoor champion Anna Wielgosz set an national record of 1:59.81 and a PB of 2:00.34, respectively.
"It's a surprise. You have the world's fastest in the race, but I believed that I could make it, and to make it and grab that gold medal, I'm proud," said Sekgodiso. "I did dream of this, I've been working so hard for this. We have a long season ahead and I believe there's still more to come."
The World Indoor Championships in Nanjing marked Getachew’s debut on the indoor circuit, and the Ethiopian will undoubtedly be satisfied to leave the Chinese city with her first global medal.
It was a historic outing for Portuguese champion Silva whose exploit comes 24 years after her father Rui Silva won the 1500m at the 2001 edition of the championships held in Lisbon.
"This is more than a dream, I'm so happy," she said. "Winning a medal 24 years after my Dad, I think my family is so proud. They teach me the values of being an athlete, to work a lot. I think they are super proud that I did it."
Yemi Galadima for World Athletics
| WOMEN'S 800m MEDALLISTS | ||
| 🥇 | Prudence Sekgodiso (RSA) | 1:58.40 WL |
| 🥈 | Nigist Getachew (ETH) | 1:59.63 PB |
| 🥉 | Patricia Silva (POR) | 1:59.80 NR |
| Full results | ||
