'I was starting to get impatient with myself' -Tshite celebrates new SA 1500m record

South African middle-distance sensation Tshepo Tshite delivered the performance of a lifetime, running 3:31:35 to set a new national 1500m record during the Paris leg of the Wanda Diamond League in France on last night (20 June). The race proved to be fast as winner Addezine Habz set the stadium alight with a lighting fast 3:27:49 - a world leading time over the distance. In all, a total of 13 athletes ran new personal best times, with four national records as well as a world under 20 record set by Koech Kipkosgei of Kenya. For Tshite, who took ninth position in the hotly contested race, he says the record has been a long time coming.

"Well I'm really happy to run a new SA 1500m record. It’s a proud moment in my career. The race was good and it was a great experience," said elated Tshite, who is also the owner of the SA Indoor 1 500m (3:35:06) and Mile (3:54.01) Indoor records.

Tshite has been flying this season. He has set two SA records (Mile Short Track) and 1500m outdoor. Photo Credit: Sepeng Project.

"I knew I have what it takes to do it. It was a matter of getting things right. But I was getting impatient with myself because this year I started well but suddenly things fell back a bit," he admitted. "I started running 3.36 back to back but that's part of the sport. The reality is that sometimes the training can go well but that doesn't guarantee that things will go well on race day," he told #TheTopRunner. 

For managing to eclipse the previous mark of 3:31:93 set by World Championships bronze medalist Johan Cronje in September 2013, the 28-year who trains under the guidance of Samuel Sepeng, thanks his training partners for motivating him with their world class performances this season. In 2025 the Sepeng Group has produced a World Indoor Championships 800m gold medalist in Prudence Sekgodiso, while Oratile Nowe of Botswana has improved on her two lap national record a staggering four times.

"It's a motivation to be part of a group that performs well. All the thanks to Coach Samuel Sepeng for the amazing work that he’s putting in to make sure that we are in our best shape," he said. 

Tshite in action in the Diamond League. Photo Credit: Sepeng Project.

With the World championships three months away, Tshite the man who runs in the colours of Phantane Athletics Club is mindful of keeping consistent throughout the season to ensure that he does well at the biggest athletics-only competition in the world in Tokyo, Japan in September. 

"This year my approach has been different, the focus was on improving my endurance, I've done more mileage than before. The goal is to be able to perform consistently for the the whole season. In previous seasons I've been struggling to survive until September. Hopefully this season with this new approach, my body will carry me for the whole season without getting fatigue. The most important thing is to master consistency that's when I'll be confident that I'm ready for World Champions. But for now I'm not yet sharp. I'm still getting there."