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Zeney Geldenhuys cruised to a fifth national 400m hurdles title on the second day of the SA Senior Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom on Friday.
With fellow Olympic semifinalist Rogail Joseph ruled out with a hamstring injury, Geldenhuys had no trouble in securing the gold, taking the win in 55.09 seconds. Rising star Tumi Ramokgopa was second in 55.90 – dipping under 56 seconds for the first time before returning to the track a few hours later for her heat of the 100m hurdles, which she won comfortably in 13.67 seconds.
“Today was about defending my title and I’m very happy with the first place,” said Zeney. “And the time is not bad as well, so that means the sub-55 and sub-54 is coming closer each race and I’m very excited about that.”
Tumi gave credit to Zeney for her best time ever.
“She was the one I was chasing,” explained the matric student. “My gratitude goes to her, if it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would have run such a good time. She pushed me really hard. She’s one of my role models and I really appreciate running with her.”
While Zeney is a regular on top of the podium, one man making his way there for the first time was an athlete six years her senior, Sabelo Dhlamini.
The 30-year-old was thrilled to secure the men’s 400m hurdles title in a 48.57 seconds – taking .17 of a second off his previous best and missing out on the automatic qualifying mark for the world championships by just .07 of a second.
“I feel exhausted, but I’m very happy, very jubilant I’d say, because we’ve been putting in so many hours. I think I’ve been chasing this title for the last four years,” he said afterwards.
Also claiming a first-ever national title was 2017 U18 world champion Breyton Poole. He secured the men’s high jump gold on countback from Tshepang Dankuru with a clearance of 2.20m with Brian Raats and Mpho Links sharing the bronze on 2.15m.
“Today wasn’t about height, it was about getting that title and I think most importantly working hard towards the end. Countbacks proved to be the decider, so I think it was a good competition all round, I’m happy with it,” said an elated Breyton afterwards.
“It took me seven years to get here, but it was worth the wait.”
There was also plenty to celebrate for 17-year-old Leendert Koekemoer, who set a new SA under-20 record in the 400m. He finished second in his semifinal behind Gardeo Isaacs in 45.03 to better the previous mark set by Riaan Dempers 31 years ago.
“I didn’t expect that at all,” he admitted afterwards. “I knew it was in me, but I didn’t think it could have been today. But ja, I’m quite glad about it.”
There was no fairytale return to the national championships for 2017 world champion Luvo Manyonga who has battled his way back from drug addiction and a doping ban. He finished sixth in the men’s long jump final with a best leap of 7.68m. Instead, it was Jovan van Vuuren, who has made a comeback of his own from a career-threatening injury, who reclaimed the title he last won in 2022 with a leap of 8.00m.
“It’s special, especially missing out last year with the national championships with the injury, so bouncing back now and reclaiming my title, it’s special for me,” said Jovan afterwards, also paying tribute to his rival on his return.
“I’m glad he’s back, especially with young athletes looking up to Luvo. These guys we’re jumping against now got inspired by Luvo. So to jump against your role model it’s special… You know he’s got the capabilities of jumping big jumps and I think we’ll be back and jumping eight [metres] in no time.”
Earlier in the day, there was heartbreak for Gift Leotlela after pulling up in the heats of the 200m. Having secured the 100m title on Thursday, the newly crowned champion reportedly suffered a muscle tweak and should be back in action soon.