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Xaba, Munnik strike Gold at inaugural Boxer Super Run Tshwane

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on Xaba, Munnik strike Gold at inaugural Boxer Super Run Tshwane

Glenrose Xaba and Luan Munnik stole the show at the inaugural Boxer Super Run Tshwane, held on Sunday, 10 November 2024, at TUKS (Uitspan). They clinched gold in the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s races with remarkable times of 15:42 and 13:50, respectively.

Coming off a historic victory and a national record at the Cape Town Marathon, Glenrose Xaba had one more goal before taking a well-earned break: proudly representing her club, Boxer Athletics Club (AC), at the Boxer Super Run in Tshwane.

“The first 2-3 km felt smooth, but I could still feel the marathon in my legs during those last 2 km,” Xaba shared with a beaming smile. “I kept pushing, reminding myself that I needed to perform for my club. My strategy was to break away early because, after a marathon, I knew slowing down would allow others to catch up. Starting strong and holding my pace was my best bet. I’m so grateful for this year. Thanks to God, my coaches Caster and Ledile Violet Semenya, Rhyn Swanepoel from Boxer AC, and my teammates like Karabo More, who pushes me with her speed. Special thanks to my grandmother, my mom, and Lebogang Phalula for always supporting me.”

Reflecting on the event, Xaba added, “The Boxer Super Run is a fantastic platform for young runners. It encourages them to start with shorter distances before jumping into 10km or half marathons. I only moved up to the 10km races after becoming a senior, so I appreciate that Boxer is creating opportunities for athletes to develop their strength at a comfortable pace. Winning the first race in Durban last year and now here in Tshwane feels incredibly special, and I’m truly grateful.”

Boxer AC athletes rounded out the podium, with Karabo More taking 2nd and Cacisile Sosibo in 3rd.

Legendary middle-distance runner and respected coach Caster Semenya made her Boxer Super Run debut with an impressive 7th place finish in 17:58.

“It was a tough but beautiful race,” Semenya said. “I love challenging myself, even if I’m semi-retired as an athlete. It’s exciting to see that I can still finish in the top 10. Running alongside my athletes and watching them thrive is deeply fulfilling. The energy of the Boxer Super Run is fantastic. Seeing so many people participating is a joy—it keeps young people off the streets and encourages them to focus on something positive.”

On the men’s side, Luan Munnik celebrated his first major road victory with a standout performance.

“The Boxer Super Run is an amazing challenge,” Munnik remarked. “For track athletes like me, it’s a great test of endurance, and for road runners, it’s a speed battle. The event has the perfect blend of competition, support, and excitement. I went out hard to establish some dominance early on. About 1km in, Maxime Chaumeton broke away, with Elroy (Gelant) chasing. I decided to respond, and it turned into a back-and-forth between Elroy and me. With 800m left, I made my final surge, and it worked. Big congratulations to Elroy for securing another medal at a Boxer event—he’s an exceptional athlete. Winning today feels amazing; it’s my first big win on the road.”

Boxer AC’s Elroy Gelant finished in 2nd, with Chris Mhlanga securing 3rd place.

“Congratulations to Glenrose Xaba and Luan Munnik for becoming the first champions of the Boxer Super Run Tshwane! You both set a high standard for this event,” said Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports. “The support from our sponsors, participants, and spectators truly made this event unforgettable. Hosting a top-tier 5km race in Tshwane is an exciting milestone, and we’re thrilled to bring such quality racing to this community.”

Lee-Ann Pillay, Head of Marketing at Boxer Superstores, added, “We were blown away by the incredible performances. The atmosphere was absolutely electric. A big congratulations to our winners, Glenrose and Luan, who made this debut event unforgettable. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved, from participants to passionate fans. This event has set the bar high, and we can’t wait to build on its success.”

Event Information:
2024 Boxer Super Run Tshwane
The 5km distance continues to grow in popularity worldwide, and the Boxer Super Run Tshwane lived up to the hype, attracting a mix of seasoned athletes and enthusiastic newcomers. This event truly had something for everyone, giving Tshwane a firsthand experience of a world-class 5km road race.

Exciting News: Discovery Vitality members earned Vitality points after completing the Boxer Super Run in Tshwane.

Impressive Prize Purse: The 2024 Boxer Super Run in Tshwane featured an impressive prize purse of R147,200.00, available to both the Elite Race and Open Wave participants. In the Elite Race, prize money was awarded to the top 8 male and female finishers, with the winners each receiving a well-earned R20,000. Additionally, in the Open Wave, the top 3 male and female finishers across various categories—Junior, Open, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70+—were also recognized and rewarded for their efforts.

How Team South Africa Performed on Sunday

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on How Team South Africa Performed on Sunday

How Team South Africa performed at the Paralympics on Sunday, 1 September 2024. 

PARA ATHLETICS 

Men’s 100m – T44 – Final
Star sprinter Mpumelelo Mhlongo kicked off Team SA’s medal count at the 2024 Paralympics in style—with a GOLD! On Sunday night, in front of a packed Stade de France, the men’s T44 100m world record holder crossed the finish line in 11.12 seconds to claim the top spot.

Women’s 1500m – T11 – Round 1 Heat
Team SA’s Louzanne Coetzee finished 2nd in her morning heat with a season’s best time, fast enough to qualify her for the Final.
She will compete in the Final on Monday, 2 September

Women’s Discuss Throw – F46 – Final
Team South Africa’s Yane van der Merwe faced a challenging day in the discus event, registering three failed throws for a “No Mark” result in her Paralympics appearance.

Men’s High Jump – T47 – Final
Team South Africa’s Khumo Pitso finished in 5th position with a New African Record jump of 1.98m in his first-ever Paralympics appearance.

Women’s Long Jump – T37 – Final 
Team SA’s Liezel Gouws finished 8th in the long jump event with a leap of 3.62m.
She will next compete in the T37 400m Final on Tuesday, 3 September.

Men’s 100m – T64 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Paul Daniels finished 4th in his heat, setting a New African Record. Unfortunately, his time was just 0.01s outside the fastest times needed to qualify for the final.
He will next compete in the T62 400m Final on Friday, 6 September.

Men’s 100m – T64 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Paul Daniels finished 7th in his heat, in a time that was, unfortunately, outside of the fastest times required to qualify for the final.
He next competes in the T62 400m Final on Friday, 6 September

Men’s 100m – T63 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Puseletso Mabote won his heat with a time that equaled the Paralympic Record (12.05), qualifying for the Final on Monday, 2 September

PARA ARCHERY
Men’s Individual W1 1/8 Elimination Round & Quarter Final

Shaun Anderson’s 2024 Paralympics journey ended with a mix of pride and emotion at the Esplanade de Invalides. Competing in his third Games, the Team SA archer narrowly lost in the quarter-finals to China’s No.1 seed, Tianxin Zhang, 136-134, after an impressive upset against Turkey’s No.6 seed, Yigit Aydin, 133-132.

Reflecting on the experience, the 51-year-old said, “I couldn’t be prouder. Competing against the best in the world as the 34th-ranked archer is something special.” Shaun credited the crowd’s energy for pushing him through, joking about celebrating with a couple of beers later.

Despite the close loss, he’s not ruling out another shot at the Games, saying, “I don’t use the word ‘can’t.’ My hashtag is #i’mpossible. If you put your mind to something, you can do it.”

Who knows? We might just see him in Los Angeles in 2028.

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
Men’s Singles – Second Round
Team South Africa’s Alwande Sikhosana was eliminated from the competition after a 1–6, 0–6 loss to his Japanese opponent.

Men’s Quad Doubles – Semi Final
Team South Africa’s doubles duo, Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi, lost in two sets (1–6, 1–6) to their highly-ranked Dutch counterparts.
They will compete in the Bronze medal match on Wednesday, 4 September.

Tatjana Smith retires, looking forward to life after swimming

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on Tatjana Smith retires, looking forward to life after swimming

Tatjana Smith has announced her retirement shortly after making history as South Africa’s most successful Olympian at the 2024 Paris Games.

The announcement wasn’t entirely unexpected, as the 27-year-old has consistently expressed that swimming does not define her. She values her life outside of the pool and believes it’s best for champions to retire while on top.

A devoted Christian, Smith has always felt there is a greater purpose to her life than winning medals. Having married late last year and with the next Olympics approaching in her thirties, she said, “I’m looking forward to my life outside of swimming.”

Reflecting on her career, Smith remarked, “It was an amazing battle and I’ve never raced Kate (Douglass) in an Olympic final before. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my career in such a tough competition. I’ve always loved competing.”

In confirming her retirement, she added, “Achievements fade, but people remember who you are. I want to be remembered for bringing joy to others. Swimming was just one season in my life, and now I’m excited for the next chapter.”

Smith capped her illustrious career by winning her fourth Olympic medal—a silver in the women’s 200m breaststroke—bringing her total to two golds and two silvers across two Games.

Photo by Anton Geyser

https://www.teamsa.co.za/tatjana-smith-announces-swimming-retirement/

How Team South Africa Performed on Tuesday

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on How Team South Africa Performed on Tuesday

Team SA began Tuesday with three medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, thanks to Alan Hatherly and Tatjana Smith’s contributions on Monday. On Tuesday, our athletes are competing in five different sports.

Rowing:  Women’s Single Sculls, Quarter-Finals
Paige Bandenhorst finished fourth in her quarter-final. The top three from each of the four heats advance to semi-finals A/B, while the remaining competitors go to semi-finals C/D.
Therefore, Bandenhorst will be competing for places 13th to 24th.

Swimming: Men’s 200m Butterfly, Heats
Matthew Sates finished 6th with a time of 1:57.04, placing him 20th overall and missing a spot in the semi-finals.

Cycling (BMX):  Men’s Park Qualification
Vincent Leygonie did not finish in the top 9 and was eliminated after placing 12th with a points average of 75.85 over two runs.

Rugby Sevens
Women’s 11th/12th pace playoff: Team SA 21 Fiji 15

Men’s Hockey
Men’s Pool A: Team SA 1 Germany 5

Team South Africa’s men’s hockey players continued their demanding schedule by playing their third match in four days at the 2024 Paris Olympics, this time facing Germany. On Tuesday they went down 5-1 to sixth-ranked Germany.

Having previously defeated Germany at Tokyo 2020, Team SA aimed to deliver another memorable performance, hoping to honor head coach Cheslin Gie’s birthday. However, Germany quickly took the lead. In the final minute of the first quarter, Christopher Ruhr doubled Germany’s lead with a penalty stroke.

Justus Weigand extended the lead to 3-0 when he scored from within the circle. Despite a good chance for South Africa, the shot went wide. The second period was uneventful, and Germany maintained their 3-0 lead at halftime.

Early in the second half, South African goalkeeper Gowan Jones made several saves before a counterattack almost resulted in a goal for South Africa, earning applause from the crowd. South Africa then won a penalty corner, which Matt Guise-Brown converted to make it 3-1. However, Germany soon restored their three-goal advantage with a penalty corner goal by Gonzalo Peillat.

South Africa had another penalty corner opportunity after good work from Bili Ntuli, but Mustapha Cassiem’s shot was saved, and his rebound went over the crossbar. In the final minutes, a defensive error allowed Mats Grambusch to score Germany’s fifth goal with a brilliant shot into the top right corner.

Despite the defeat, South Africa now turns its focus to the next game against Spain on Wednesday, where they will compete for potential quarter-final places.

Photo by: Mimmo Perna