'I want to become a champion like Semenya and Sekgodiso' – 800m junior sensation Boipelo Maroga

Rising middle-distance star Boipelo Maroga is chasing history. The promising Nedbank Running Club junior has set her sights on breaking the magical two-minute barrier in the 800m, a feat achieved by only six South African women – Caster Semenya, Prudence Sekgodiso, Charne Swart, Zelda Pretorius, Ilse Wicksell and Eranne van Zyl.

Maroga who is pictured here at the Alexandra leg of the Zet Sinqe Series specializes in the 800m and 1500m. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

Driven by ambition and inspired by greatness, the lanky, composed athlete says she wants to follow in the footsteps of her idols, Semenya, the two-time Olympic Champion and national record-holder, and Sekgodiso, who struck gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in China earlier this year. The 13-year old, who currently boasts a best of 2:17.22 in the 800m which she produced at the ASA U16, U18, U20 and U23 track and field championships in March, knows that matching the feats of Semenya and Sekgodiso won’t come easy. But she’s ready to put in the hard work to get there.

"I want to run a sub 2:00 in the 800m. I really want to become a champion like Caster Semenya and Prudence Sekgodiso," she told #TheTopRunner. "It's all about getting the basics right. It hasn't been easy, especially now in my first year as a junior. But I will continue to work hard. I see myself one day in the green and gold competing at the worlds and Olympics like Caster and Prudence."

Maroga is a versatile atlete who also competes over cross country and road. Photo Credit: CGA Media.

Maroga who runs for the Nedbank Running Club's Soweto-based development team discovered her passion for running early in life, beginning as a sprinter before switching to the 800m in 2022, following a brief stint as a race walker.

"The love for the sport came naturally. I started as sprinter doing the 80m. I qualified for the Gauteng Schools Champs but we couldn’t compete because of Covid19. In 2022, I wanted to become a race-walker but my former coach Thabiso Tsekgane disagreed. We looked at the sprints and realised they didn’t suit me. We then settled on the 800m, although I hated it," she explained.

Maroga's coach Mpho Mphelane believes that she can go all the way to the top. Photo Credit: Supplied.

With raw talent and a fierce competitive spirit, the Central Gauteng athlete, now under the guidance of 2024 CGA Development Coach of the year Mpho Mphelane, is determined to carve her own name into South Africa's middle-distance legacy. Mphelane believes Maroga has the potential to succeed, as long as she's willing to put in the hard work.

"She's a perfect fit for the 800m. She's definitely going to succeed in the junior ranks, as well as at senior level," she said.