'This has opened doors for me' - Precious Molepo announces return after splendid 2025

After grabbing her first major championship medal when she helped the national women's 4X400m relay team to a bronze at the World Athletics (WA) Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China, Precious Molepo is looking forward to what lies ahead. Molepo was overcome with emotions when the national relay teams were welcomed by throngs of jubilant supporters at the OR Tambo International Airport on May 14, after their success in China. The men's 4X100m and 4X400m clinched gold medals, while the women's 4X400m broke the national record with a blistering 3:24.84 for third place in the final, as SA topped the standings with three medals.

"I'm overwhelmed. I've never had this feeling before. I cried when I got here because I'm used to seeing the airport packed with fans when national teams arrived but never knew how it felt like when you have a medal on your neck," she told #TheTopRunner. 

Precious Molepo at the OR Tambo International Airport on May 14 after the national relay teams landed from China. Photo Credit: Lebohang Pita.

Having secured safe passage to the World Championships in Tokyo in September with their 3:28.01 in heats, the Prestige College alumnus explained that although they went into the final with nothing to lose, they knew they had a chance of finishing on the podium. Describing her performance in the final, where she ran the third leg, as nerve-wrecking, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) athlete added that her focus was on successfully handing over the baton to anchor, Zeney van der Walt.

"I knew I was surrounded by ladies who have run 50 and 51 seconds. I was nervous and wanted to stick with the two ladies in front of me. I also ensured no one passed me so that we stayed in the top three. When Zeney finished, we were overjoyed with the bronze medal but after we saw the time, we realised we had shattered our record again and this time by 3.26 seconds. That's when I realised we are fast. We went to Guangzhou with the goal of qualifying for Tokyo. It feels a lot to me that we are going to Tokyo. I feel seen as an athlete and this has opened doors for me," said Molepo who also reached the final of the 400m at the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Kenya.

Molepo and SA 4x400m and UJ teammate Shirley Nekhubui pose for a photo in Guangzhou, China after winning the bronze medal. Photo Credit: Supplied.

The 2022 SA 400m champion, who joined to Coach Reneilwe Aphane at UJ in 2024, went into the World Relays in red-hot form after winning the women's 400m title at the University Sports South Africa Track and Field champs on May 2 in a personal best 52.32. A week before that, she clinched the bronze in the one-lap dash in 52.36 at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Senior Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom and two silvers in the 200m and 400m at the national U23 champs in Cape Town in March.

With a success domestic individual track season behind her, qualifying for the 400m at the World Champs in Japan is not part of her immediate plans. The fastest SA U18 400m female athlete of all time (52.84 back in 2022) wants to focus on lowering her lifetime best to 51 seconds and ultimately 50 seconds in the long-term.

Molepo in action at the ASA Senior Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom where she took the bronze medal behind Shirley Nehubui (51.40) and Miranda Coetzee (51.30). Photo Credit: CGA Media.

"I'm still in 52 seconds or 51 seconds high shape. The qualifying standard is 50.75 and the people there run 51 seconds lows and 50 seconds highs. As soon as I get to 51 and 50 seconds shape, it can become my short-term goal. For now, the world champs is my long-term goal."