By Razeen Gutta
On a busy day in the track for South African athletes, Prudence Sekgodiso finished eighth in the women’s 800 metre race while Wayde van Niekerk and Shaun Maswanganyi qualified for the men’s 200 metre semi-finals.
It was yet another highly watchable Monday at the Paris Games as 22-year-old Sekgodiso gained the valuable experience of competing in an Olympic final.
Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinsoni won the race in 1:56.72 while Tsige Duguma (Ethiopia) and Mary Moraa (Kenya) completed the podium.
Sekgodiso’s run in 1:58.79 began with an incredible start but she just could not keep up the momentum in the final stretch.
Nonetheless, she is sure to be back with a chance of a medal finish in four years time as she continues to grow into her career.
Earlier in the day, van Niekerk finished third in heat one of the men’s 200 metre event. The world record holder switched from 400 to 200 metres this year; and fans will be keen to see just how far he can go.
Maswanganyi also claimed third spot in heat five as the pair qualified for the semi-finals. Their teammate Benjamin Richardson was unfortunate to miss out on a place as he suffered an injury in heat three.
The semi-final is set for Wednesday at 20:02.
Pictured above: Shaun Maswanganyi
Source: @officialteamrsa
Full Story Source: Semis loom for SA’s 200m men
