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Young gun Benjamin outshines Wayde van Niekerk on sizzling day at SA champs

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Young gun Benjamin outshines Wayde van Niekerk on sizzling day at SA champs

Benjamin Richardson produced the largest upset of the SA Athletics Championships so far by outgunning Wayde van Niekerk to win the 200m title in a steamy Pietermaritzburg on Saturday. By Karien Jonckheere, Picture Cecilia van Bers

Van Niekerk chose to focus his efforts on the 200m event in Maritzburg rather than the 400m, in which he won Olympic gold in 2016 in world record time. But Richardson produced a speedy 20.16-second performance to outshine the veteran and take the title while also securing an Olympic qualifying mark. Van Niekerk settled for silver in 20.31.

“I could have [gone faster] but I’m more happy about the moment and the fact that I did my qualifier,” said a thrilled Richardson. “I was happy in the moment with what I did because it took so much effort and I’m just happy right now.”

As for beating Van Niekerk, the 20-year-old said he remembered the exact date he raced against him for the first time back in 2021.

“It shows that through time, things can change and three years later, I’m now first and so now I’m happy and I’m grateful for everything that’s happened – the trials and tribulations.”

Meanwhile, Lythe Pillay surprised even himself on his way to the 400m title in a new personal best time of 44.31 seconds, with Zakithi Nene also achieving his second Olympic qualifying time in the event, taking silver in 44.80.

“We’re still on cloud nine, or rather on cloud 44 right now, but I’m grateful and blessed,” said an amazed Pillay afterwards.

“Being in a very competitive lineup like that, even with Wayde [van Niekerk] not being present, I knew it was going to be a tough race. I was just here to execute and do what I had to do today.

“The plan was just to go, so from the gun have a good reaction, stay controlled, not spilling energy unnecessarily, sticking to my normal tactics, sticking to my normal strength… and everything clicked today,” added the 21-year-old who will be hoping everything also clicks tomorrow when he is writing an accounting exam.

It was a busy day for Shirley Nekhubui who doubled up in the 200 and 400m, successfully securing both titles on the same day.

Nekhubui claimed the 200m victory in 23.28 and followed that up by edging out defending champion Miranda Coetzee for the 400m title as well, winning in a time of 51.77 seconds.

Nekhubui said afterwards she is till hoping to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in the 400m and will be aiming to do that in Europe in the coming weeks.

Glenrose Xaba completed a double of her own. She overcame the steamy KZN conditions to add the 10,000m title to the 5000m gold she won on Thursday.

In a race that saw several athletes either collapsing or dropping out, Xaba held on to win in a time of 32:56.29 for her seventh national 10,000m title.

Adriaan Wildschutt took the men’s 5000m title in a time of 13:30.38 to make it a double for the family with his brother Nadeel having claimed the 10,000m title on Thursday.

The SA Athletics Championships conclude tomorrow.

Akani takes sixth SA 100m title as women’s 400m hurdles produces two Olympic qualifiers

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Akani takes sixth SA 100m title as women’s 400m hurdles produces two Olympic qualifiers

The women’s 400m hurdles provided one of the highlights of day two of the SA Athletics Championships in Pietermaritzburg on Friday.

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Zeney Geldenhuys was pushed all the way to the final hurdle by Rogail Joseph, just pulling away in the final metres to take her fourth national title in a time of 54.72 seconds with Joseph second in 54.84. Both times were below the automatic qualification mark for the Olympic Games later this year in Paris.

Claiming the bronze medal was 16-year-old star Tumi Ramokgopa who set a new South African youth record with a time of 57.04.

Geldenhuys said afterwards she was pleased to be pushed by her young rivals.

“You can’t always just go into a race and think I’m going to run and win by 100 metres so it is very exciting to know that there are girls pushing me because without them it’s difficult to run great times,” she said.

“I’m ecstatic [about the time] and I’m truly blessed to know I could run the Olympic qualifying time… but from here it’s much harder work to get the times done because if I want to run a final [at the Olympics] it need to be a 53.”

Joseph reckoned: “It was a really tough race and I’m really proud of myself because it’s the first time I was so close to the winner at SA Seniors, so I can see I’m on the right road and I’m so excited to see what more is in store for me.”

Meanwhile, Lindukuhle Gora was thrilled to get his hands on a first senior national title, winning the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.45 seconds.

Also claiming her first senior title was teenage sprinter Viwe Jingqi. The 19-year-old blitzed to the women’s 100m title in a time of 11.23, just one hundredth of a second off her PB.

“Fantastic! I thought it went great. I don’t know how to explain it but as you can see, the smile and how I’m talking… everything went well,” said a thrilled Jingqi afterwards.

While it was a first for Jingqi, it was title number six for Akani Simbine in the men’s 100m. The SA record holder powered to victory in a time of 10.01 seconds, holding off teenagers Bayanda Walaza (10.27) and Bradley Nkoana (10.29) for the gold.

“I’m just also happy to retain my title,” said Simbine, who admitted he was targeting a sub-10 second time but was unsure of the cool, slightly breezy conditions.

“For us it was trying to finish off on a sub-10 but I’m happy with a 10.01 – I can’t complain about that, I can’t complain about finishing the race healthy and now that sets me up for my next race in China next week,” he said.

Earlier in the day, 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk ran the opening race of his campaign of the SA Championships, finishing first in his 200m heat in a time of 20.57 seconds.

“It was comfortable. It felt a little bit rusty in some areas of the race, but I think once you get your legs exposed to that, those things start freeing up and the fact that I ran quite a solid time, feeling the way I did, hopefully the next two will be better,” he said afterwards.

“I think [nerves are] always there. Nerves are something that’s part of the game I guess. My wife told me – if I feel this way, how do the rest fo the guys feel? So I’m trying to use that mentally in my head. But we all have a bit of nerves, a bit of restlessness because we want to do well and be competitive so it’s very much part of the game. It’s really just about managing it and putting your best foot forward.

In other events on Friday, Cheswill Johnson claimed the men’s long jump title with a leap of 8.22m, while Brian Raats cleared 2.25m to take gold in the men’s high jump on countback.

 

Glenrose takes care of unfinished business as SA athletics champs kick off in Maritzburg

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Glenrose Xaba finally has her hands on a national 5000m title. The 29-year-old has claimed gold six times before in the 10,000m but never in the shorter of the distance events on the track. On day one of the SA Athletics Championships in Pietermaritzburg, Xaba ensured that record would finally change as she staved off the challenge of middle distance star Prudence Sekgodiso to win in a time of 15:48.44 with Sekgodiso second in 16:02.04. By Karien Jonckheere

“I’m not the [type of] person that when I’m running I’m looking back,” said Xaba of taking on Sekgodiso. “I was expecting that I would see Prudence passing me, but I was going to challenge her to the finish line because I was looking forward to achieving this gold medal. For so many years I tried to win gold in the 5000 and I did not. I just came second or got bronze so I am very excited to achieve this.”

In the only other track final of the day, national 10,000m record holder Adriaan Wildschutt’s older brother, Nadeel, claimed the gold in a time of 29:15.93. The 27-year-old was locked in battle with Puseletso Mofokeng over the final lap, eventually sprinting down the home straight to take the title with Mofokeng second in 29:19.01.

In the field events, Michelle Ngozo took gold in the high jump with a clearance of 1.76m and Rocco van Rooyen claimed the men’s javelin title (74.58m), while there was gold for Ashley Erasmus in the women’s shot put (17.27m) and Yolandi Stander in the discus (55m).

Earlier in the day, Akani Simbine continued his quest for a sixth national title in the 100m, cruising through his heat in 10.07 seconds and then slowing down slightly as the wind picked up in the early afternoon but still comfortably winning his semifinal in 10.27.

“The plan was to go sub-10 now because it’s hot and it’s the middle of the day, the track has been prepared and everything but the wind didn’t play with us,” said the two-time Olympic finalist after his semi. “As soon as they blew the whistle there was a big gust and it just kept going, it didn’t stop so it was literally changing the game plan at the line,” he added.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Viwe Jingqi is in search of her first senior national title over 100m. She won her semifinal in 11.51 and was pleased with how her body felt, having recovered from appendix surgery and other complications last year.

“Yoh, you can see I’m very small, and that wind – I could feel it. The whole time it was just pushing me behind but honestly, I’m OK,” said Jingqi afterwards. “My body is responding now. Obviously in the morning you have to cruise when it’s heats – you cannot go full-out, and I tried to get the extra gear this time but the wind was just doing whatever. But to be honest, I feel OK. My body is getting there. It’s exactly where I want it to be actually.”

Athletics action continues at Msunduzi Stadium on Friday, with both 100m finals scheduled for the afternoon.

 

The People’s Race Will Happen!

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First it was cancelled, then it was on again… this has been the yo-yo experience for the running community today as news broke about the Soweto Marathon. As a long-term media partner to the race, Modern Athlete got in touch with the ‘right’ people to get to the bottom of what is really going on.

On Wednesday morning, we woke to the news that the 2023 Soweto Marathon had been cancelled due to an ongoing dispute regarding the broadcast rights for the race, and the funding received for these rights. Thankfully, a few hours later news broke that the 28th edition of the event known as the People’s Race will go ahead as scheduled on Sunday 5 November.

The original media release announcing the cancellation of the race was apparently issued on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, and quoted Soweto Marathon Trust (SMT) Chairman Sello Khunou directly, so it appeared to have been issued by the SMT. This media release laid the blame for the cancellation squarely at the feet of Athletics South Africa (ASA) and Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA).

However, according to a statement released today by provincial athletics body, Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA), Khunou as well as General Secretary Ishe Sadiki and Board Member Pamela Tainton had already been suspended by the provincial federation the previous week, for bringing the sport into disrepute, and they each face a potential two-year suspension from all athletics activities, subject to a disciplinary and appeal process. The original press release therefore appears to have been released following their suspension.

Furthermore, on Sunday 18 June, CGA met with 15 of the 17 Soweto athletics clubs that make up the SMT, to ensure that the race will be hosted successfully following the suspension of the above Trust members. According to CGA, the clubs welcomed the suspension of the three members and indicated to CGA that the race must take place in 2023. Note: The Soweto athletics clubs are the beneficiaries of the Soweto Marathon, and both the event and these Soweto clubs are affiliated to CGA, and through the provincial federation, also to Athletics South Africa (ASA).

Getting Back on Track

When asked about the unfortunate turn of events, newly elected SMT Board Member Thokozani Mazibuko said, “This is not what we as the Soweto Marathon Trust wanted or expected. Our focus is to find a solution to the problem and get the 2023 People’s Race on track. The sudden announcement of cancellation from disgruntled members created panic and was completely unnecessary.”

He added that the Trust, the Board, and the relevant athletics bodies are all committed to ensuring the race happens, saying, “Our message to the runners planning on tackling the Soweto Marathon in November is that our 2023 edition is happening, and we can’t wait to welcome you to the streets of Soweto.”

We also spoke to long-standing Race Director, Danny Blumberg, and he assured us that while the opening of entries has been delayed due to these internal issues, this is in no way holding up the organisation of the 2023 edition of the race. “My team is working hard in the background to ensure that when we are able to open entries, everything will be on track to make sure that this edition of the People’s Race is as good as runners expect it to be,” he said.

The Soweto Marathon has been a much-loved fixture on the running calendar for nearly three decades, and we look forward to bringing you all the news, including the opening date for entries, expected to be announced soon!