South African middle-distance runner Prudence Sekgodiso secured third place in the women’s 800m at the Stockholm Diamond League athletics meeting, continuing her rise as one of the top athletes in the world in this event.
Despite narrowly missing the top spot, her performance has kept her in strong contention for qualification in the overall Diamond League standings.
Prudence Sekgodiso becomes one of the finest 800m runners
The 800m race is a two-lap race around a standard track. It combines both speed and endurance, as athletes must pace themselves carefully while still finishing fast.
Sekgodiso ran the race in one minute 58 seconds, finishing just behind Kenya’s Mary Moraa, who clocked 1:57.83, and Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter-Bell, who won with a time of 1:57.66 — her best time this season.
The race had a dramatic ending. Hunter-Bell surged from the back of the pack in the final 300 metres, overtaking Sekgodiso and Moraa right at the finish line. Sekgodiso had been holding a strong position, but was edged out in the last moments.
Despite finishing third, Sekgodiso’s performance earned her valuable qualification points. She currently sits second in the Diamond League standings for the 800m event with 13 points, trailing Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma, who has 16.
These standings are important because they determine which athletes qualify for the final race at the end of the Diamond League season.
How is South Africa doing in Stockholm Diamond League
South Africa had three athletes competing in Stockholm. In addition to Sekgodiso’s podium finish, sprinter Abdurahman Karriem ran in the men’s 200m race.
This was Karriem’s debut in the Diamond League series, and he finished fifth with a time of 20.52 seconds. The 200m sprint is half a lap around the track and requires pure speed. His result was promising for a first showing at this high level.
The race was won by Cuba’s Reynier Mena in 20.05 seconds, a season-best time for him. Karriem earned qualification points from his finish, placing him 14th in the current rankings for the event.
In the men’s 100m sprint, Bradley Nkoana placed second with a time of 10.23 seconds. He was narrowly beaten by Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati, who finished in 10.18 seconds. Another South African, Gift Leotlela, was disqualified under rule TR16.8, which involves lane infringements.
The Stockholm meet also featured a record-breaking performance from Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, who set a new world pole vault record at 6.28 meters in front of his home crowd.
The Diamond League is an annual series of track and field competitions. Athletes earn points at each event based on their finishes. The top athletes in each discipline then qualify for a final meet at the end of the season.
The next event on the 2025 Diamond League calendar will take place in Paris on Friday, 20 June. South African athletes will be looking to build on their results and climb higher in the rankings.
