How Prudence Sekgodiso sacrificed sleep to become an Olympic finalist

Exhausted, she finished last in the women’s final at Stade de France on Monday night, her body worn out from the pressure of previous races.

The 22-year-old Limpopo-born athlete clocked 1:58:79, but despite finishing last, she is now the eighth fastest woman in the world.

Sekgodiso recalls struggling to sleep as her legs gave out during the final.

"Normally after racing I struggle to sleep, sleeping with sleeping pills. It's been tough man but I'm just happy that I made it to the final and here I am," Sekgodiso said.

READ: Tough night out for South Africans on the track in Paris

Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson won gold in a time of 1:56:72, Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia achieved a personal best of 1:57:15 for silver, and Mary Morra of Kenya took bronze with 1:57:42.

Sekgodiso and her coach, Samuel Sepeng, successfully reached their goal of making it to the final.

However, Sekgodiso was aware that aiming for a podium finish might be overly ambitious.  

"I am just grateful man that I made it to the finals that was my coach's plan and I didn't expect much because I knew that the race was gonna be fast and I just have to keep my head up. For sure a medal was in my mind but you know what, I was just like, if it comes, it comes, if it doesn't come, you know what, I'm just excited," she added.

One of the most important lessons Sekgodiso learned from her first Olympic Games is that believing in the process and putting in the hard work can make anything possible. Now, she understands what it takes to strive for a podium finish at the highest level.

"Well, that anything is possible, never doubt yourself, just keep your head up and believe in yourself."