Prior to Sunday's meeting in Marrakech, South African distance runner Prudence Sekgodiso had never won a Wanda Diamond League meeting.
The 22-year-old had only one Diamond League appearance to her name: a sixth-placed finish in Stockholm back in 2022. As she lined up against the likes of Ethiopia's Habitam Alemu in the women's 800m, few had her down as the favourite.
Yet if Sekgodiso was unfancied until now, her stunning victory at the Meeting International Mohammed VI has arguably catapulted her into contention for the 800m Diamond League title in 2024.
Coming into the final bend, Alemu was still in the lead as she targeted her first Diamond League win since 2017. Yet Sekgodiso remained hot on her heels, and managed to squeeze past her on the inside track as the two women bolted down the home straight.
As the South African crossed the line, the official timekeeper of the Wanda Diamond League clocked her in at a new world lead and personal best of 1:57.36, making her victory the OMEGA Moment of the Meeting at the fourth leg of the season.
Sekgodiso appeared to have shocked even herself with the performance, and in the mixed zone after the race, the South African was on cloud nine.
"I'm so excited, I'm over the moon. I cannot wait to speak to my coach. I feel like crying," she said. "There was nothing in my mind when I heard the bell. I knew that anything was possible, and I just went for it."
