Potchefstroom - Hezekiel Sepeng, the 30-year-old holder of the South African senior and junior 800m records and a finalist in three Olympics, has decided to have a go at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
Sepeng was persuaded to do so by Kelly Holmes, the British double Olympic gold medal winner in Athens.

The Potchefstroom athlete started competing internationally at the 1992 World Junior Championships in Seoul. His career highlights include silver medals at the Atlanta Games in 1996 and the 1999 World Championships in Seville.

He had been in two minds about retirement since Athens but, after talking to Holmes, a regular visitor to Potchefstroom and the owner of a house in the town, he took the decision to carry on.

"She was so convincing, he could hardly ignore her advice," said Sepeng's coach, Jean Verster.

Sepeng was persuaded to do so by Kelly Holmes

Speaking to Verster about Sepeng, Holmes said: "Just think a bit about what I achieved in Athens. With all his experience gained in three Olympic finals, and more than one World Championship final, I have no doubt that he can do the same."

Sepeng has decided to progress slowly to Beijing, with the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne as the first major stop.

He will run in domestic meetings in South Africa this year as well as a few meetings in Europe. The plan, at this stage, is to give the 10th World Championships in Helsinki a miss.

The 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, will be the next important target.

In the forthcoming Absa Series, Sepeng will run 800m races in Bloemfontein and Oudtshoorn, and 1 500m events in Durban and Stellenbosch.

He is also planning to run in the South African Championships in Durban in April, where he will probably defend his 800m title. - Sapa

• This article was originally published on page 20 of The Mercury on January 13, 2005