'God pulled through again' - Miranda Coetzee through to Olympic semi-final

Having qualified for her maiden Olympic Games just days before the qualification window closed, Miranda Coetzee was cautiously optimistic as she boarded Team South Africa’s flight to Paris. Her caution stemmed from knowing that injury had forced her to start her season much later than usual which meant that when she lined up for the 400m at the Athletics South Africa Senior Track and Field Championships in April it was only her first race of the 2024 season.

Although the 2023 African Championships gold medalist lost her national title to Shirley Nekhubui, that 52.50 season opener proved to be a good stepping stone to the 2024 African championships in Cameroon where she clocked a then personal best 50.90 to defend her title and secure Olympic qualification.

Coetzee is through to the Olympic semi-final of the Women's 400m after clocking a lifetime best 50.66 at the Stade de France. Photo Credit: Team SA (SASCOC Media).

"I really thought I wasn’t gonna make it. I’ve had such a tough season but God pulled through again. He really showed up again. I  qualified three days before the window closed and I was like Yay! I was happy when I saw that I had qualified for the Olympics but then I doubted the time. When finally the results came back I was very happy that I made it," she said reflecting on the competition which was plagued by technical woes that saw some athletes deciding to head back home early while others doubted that their performances would be recognised by World Athletics.

But Coetzee’s time stood, paving the way for her to make her Olympic debut after representing the country at both the 2022 and 2023 World Championships in Oregon and Budapest respectively. Those experiences where she was unable to advance beyond the first round, taught the 26-year-old from Rustenburg that she would need more self belief to make the Olympic semi-final.

"What I learnt is that I need to mentally strong and I need to believe in myself more. I had to believe in myself to get where I am. I believe that I have a lot of potential and I have a coach who believes in me more than I believe in myself.  I just takes hard work, dedication, discipline and focus. We did it. We made it!"

Coetzee celebrates victory in the 400m at the CAA African Champs in June where she secured Olympic qualification. Photo Credit: Supreme Athletics.

They did. Coached by Eugene Thipe with mentorship from his wife Tsholofelo Thipe who also represented the nation at the 2016 Rio Olympics over 400m, Ceotzee went into #Paris2024 targeting a time and not a position. “I’m hoping for a faster time at the Olympics to go like 50 low or sub 50,” she replied when asked about her Olympic expectations.

The approached bore fruit. Running in the repechage round after finishing fourth in her opener to miss out on automatic qualification for the semi-finals, the young lady who started out as a netball player, clocked a lifetime best 50.66 to secure safe passage into the semi-finals. She released a gasp of joy as she looked up at the big screen at the State de France to learn that she had achieved her goal. What’s next, only she knows.

"I just need to show up and give it my best.. I’m so excited!"