SA's 400m hurdles duo Geldenhuys & Joseph clock PBs but fall short in semifinals
Both were on track to qualify for the finals as the two fastest losers, but then came the third semifinal, where the third and fourth placed runners went faster.
South Africa's Rogail Joseph reacts after competing in the women's 400m hurdles heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on 4 August 2024. Picture: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
PARIS - Zeney Geldenhuys and Rogail Joseph ran the races of their lives at the Stade de France on Wednesday night, and then watched as their dreams of making the women's 400m hurdles final crumbled.
There were no medals on the line for Team South Africa, but the drama and tears still flowed.
Geldenhuys became only the second South African to dip under 54 seconds, clocking a personal best time of 53.90 as she finished third in the first semifinal.
Then Joseph finished third in the second semifinal, crossing the line in 54.12 to become the fourth-fastest South African of all time.
Both were on track to qualify as the two fastest losers but then came the third semifinal, where the third and fourth-placed runners went faster.
Their elation turned to despair.
Joseph couldn’t hold back the tears afterward: "That was a fight and I'm really proud of me to be in the semifinal and it was an honour for me. But it is going to motivate me to work harder for next year’s world champs."
Geldenhuys was erroneously informed that she had qualified, only to discover a few minutes later that she hadn’t — and her emotional state flipped from joy to anguish.
Even Lythe Pillay was in tears at what he felt was a poor performance when he finished seventh in his men's 400m semifinals.