Tough night out for South Africans on the track in Paris

Sekgodiso, a two-time Diamond League winner, looked strong in the heats and semi-final. But in the final amongst the world's best, the rising star hung in until the field pulled away in the final 80m.

The 22-year-old crossed the line in last position with a time of 1:58.79, over a second off her personal best she ran in May. Undoubtedly, there will be more to come from the young talent in the future.

Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson celebrated her first Olympic gold, while Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia and Kenya's Mary Moraa followed in the medals.

Earlier in the Stade de France, Richardson pulled up gripping his right hamstring in the men's 200m heats. It looked like a hamstring tear but reports are that it was just a bad cramp. The 20-year-old is having an MRI scan to be sure. He is a key member of South Africa's 4x100m team.

Richardson's South African teammate Shaun Maswanganyi qualified for the semifinals, with his time of 20.20 seconds being the seventh fastest. Celebrated Former Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk also advanced with a time of 20.42s.

"Started off quite strong, and then as the race went on, I felt there's still a bit of rust that needs to be shaken off," said van Niekerk.

"It's been a bit of an inconsistent year, to be honest with you. Not totally pleased with how it has been, but I'm here. Just ran against a quality group of guys. And at the same time, I saw that wasn't close to where I know I can be."

100m gold medalist Noah Lyles also qualified, while his US teammate Kenneth Bednarek topped the timesheets with a 19.96s.

READ MORE: World Athletics boss believes Noah Lyles could put sprinting "back into Usain Bolt territory"