Team SA Return With Medals From China
The 2025 World Indoor Championships, held from March 21 to 23 at the Nanjing Sports Training Centre in Nanjing, China, marked a pivotal moment for our local star athletics.
Team South Africa returned home with two medals, showcasing the nation’s growing prowess on the global stage.
The team of athletes was welcomed by Athletics South Africa (ASA) president James Moloi at the OR Tambo International Airport.
Prudence Sekgodiso and Akani Simbine led the charge, securing gold and bronze respectively. Cheswill Johnson (men’s long jump), Chris van Niekerk (men’s shot put) and Marione Fourie (women’s 60m hurdles) did their best to grab a podium finish but. in a competition that featured some of the world’s best athletes.
Prudence Sekgodiso delivered a standout performance in the women’s 800m, clinching South Africa’s first-ever women’s world indoor gold medal.
Her time of 1:58.40 not only earned her the top spot on the podium but also set a new national indoor record, surpassing her previous best of 1:59.88.
Sekgodiso’s victory was a masterclass in resilience and strategy. Facing a highly competitive field, she navigated a fast-paced race, overtaking Ethiopia’s Nigist Getachew, who finished with a time of 1:59.63, and Portugal’s Patricia Silva, who clocked an indoor national record of 1:59.80.
The South African star nearly stumbled while chasing the leading Ethiopian duo but regained her composure, capitalizing on their fatigue in the final stretch to surge ahead.
Her win was a significant upset, as she outran Ethiopia’s defending champion and Paris Olympic silver medallist Tsige Duguma, who faltered in the final.
Sekgodiso’s performance was her fourth sub-two-minute run of the season, cementing her status as one of the world’s top middle-distance runners.
Akani Simbine complemented Sekgodiso’s success with a bronze medal in the men’s 60m final, marking his first individual global medal.
The veteran sprinter clocked 6.53 seconds, finishing behind Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, who took gold with a personal best of 6.49 seconds, and Australia’s Lachlan Kennedy, who secured silver with 6.50 seconds. Simbine’s achievement was a career-defining moment, following years of near-misses at major championships, including fourth and fifth-place finishes in the last three Olympic 100m finals.
His podium finish in Nanjing added to his legacy, which already includes a silver medal as part of South Africa’s 4x100m relay team at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The 60m final was a thrilling contest, with Azu’s explosive start and Simbine’s consistent power keeping the race tight until the very end.
South Africa’s success in Nanjing highlights the nation’s growing strength in athletics, particularly in speed and middle-distance events.
The championships, which saw 576 athletes from 127 countries compete, underscored the global competitiveness of the sport, with South Africa emerging as a formidable force.