From battling various health conditions to conquering the Comrades Marathon again, my journey began as a search for healing through running and evolved into a profound passion that transformed my life. – By Debbie Ivins
Author: Tanika Laskey
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Silver Lining for SA
After a disappointing Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Team South Africa went to the Paris 2024 Games hoping to restart the country’s steady supply of athletics medals, and our athletes duly delivered. – By Sean Falconer
We’ll Always Have Paris
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games produced an unforgettably 11 days of athletics with countless records, brilliant performances and too many highlights to mention. – By Simon Turnbull with Sean Falconer
Jenet’s Thinking Bigger
After a milestone achievement in the 2024 Comrades Marathon, Jenet Mbhele has her sights set on an even bigger goal in the next few years, and she’s shown she has the drive to do it! – By Tathe Msimango
Women Reign Supreme in Ultra-Trail Marathons
This Women’s Day in South Africa, we celebrate the phenomenal women who dominate the world of ultra-trail marathons. Defying the odds and pushing beyond limits, women have consistently secured top spots in these gruelling events, proving their resilience, strength, and unparalleled multitasking abilities. Among these remarkable athletes are Jess Barrow and Riana van der Merwe, two of South Africa’s leading ultra-trail runners, whose stories of passion and perseverance continue to inspire.
Jess Barrow: From Motherhood to Mountain Peaks
Jess Barrow’s adventure into the world of trail running began in 2016 with a leap of faith. Postpartum with her third child and yearning for a new thrill, she agreed to join a friend in running the Otter Trail Run. With little training but a heart full of determination, Jess completed the race and discovered a passion that would change her life. Eight years and two more children later, Jess is a trail-running powerhouse, with her youngest now following in her footsteps on the trails.
“I was seeking adventure, and trail running gave me that and more,” says Jess. “The Otter ignited a fire in me that has only grown stronger with each race.”
The very night she returned from the Otter, Jess signed up for the Whale of Trail, Mont Aux Sources, and UTCT 100 km, driven by the thrill of the trail. Despite minimal training, she placed 4th in the 2017 UTCT 100 km, finishing in 17 hours. This was the moment Jess realized that trail running was more than just an adventure—it was her calling.
“The Ultra’s have always lured me,” Jess explains. “The physical and mental journey of a 100 or 160 km race is unparalleled. It’s an experience that fulfils me in a way that shorter distances never could.”
The Kway Skyrun holds a special place in Jess’s heart. The raw mountain route, the vibrant community, and the breathtaking landscapes of Lady Grey and Balloch make it an event she eagerly anticipates each year.
Riana van der Merwe: From High Altitudes to Trail Heights
Riana van der Merwe’s journey into trail running began from an unexpected place—a high-altitude mountaineering background. In 2007, while waiting for a weather window in the Swiss Alps, Riana and her partner stumbled upon a poster for the Zermatt marathon. They entered the race, bought running shoes, and thus began their trail running adventure.
“We had no idea what we were getting into, but we were hooked,” says Riana. “Our mountaineering background made us accustomed to long hours on our feet, and trail running suited our lives better after having children.”
Riana quickly transitioned from trail marathons to ultra distances, with her first Kway Skyrun 100km later that year. Since then, she has completed numerous ultra races worldwide, including the Transalps, UTMB CCC, UTMB TDS, and races on Reunion Island, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, and Spain. In South Africa, Riana has conquered the Cederberg Traverse, UTD, Hobbit, Outeniqua, and Kway Skyrun, among others.
“Women are machines who can multitask,” Riana notes. “In ultra trails, a lot can go wrong, but women plan their work and work their plan. We are used to juggling multiple responsibilities, and that makes us stronger.”
Balancing demanding careers and raising children, both Jess and Riana exemplify the art of time management and dedication. Jess rises before dawn for focused training sessions, while Riana, living on a farm, integrates running into her daily life and follows structured training programs from her coach.
“Training is a juggle, but I make it work,” Jess shares. “My real endurance training begins when I get home to my four kids after a long run!”
For Riana, ultra-trail running is a family affair. “There is no conflict in our house about what we are going to do. We run in the mountains. That is what we do.”
Women like Jess Barrow and Riana van der Merwe are part of a growing trend of female ultra-trail runners excelling in the sport. Their success is mirrored globally by athletes like American ultra-trail runner Courtney Dauwalter, who won the top three biggest ultra-trail mountain races around the world in 2023: The Hardrock, Western States, and UTMB. Dauwalter’s achievements underscore the exceptional capabilities of women in ultra-distance running, often placing high overall and breaking records.
Research and statistics highlight that women excel in endurance sports due to their ability to maintain a steady pace, efficient energy use, and exceptional pain tolerance. Their multitasking skills, honed through balancing careers, family, and training, further contribute to their success in ultra-trail running.
As Jess prepares for her fifth Kway Skyrun and Riana looks forward to her 17th, their stories exemplify the spirit of perseverance, adventure, and competitive excellence.
This Women’s Day, we celebrate Jess Barrow, Riana van der Merwe, and all the incredible women who continue to break barriers and set new standards in ultra-trail marathons. Their stories inspire and empower future generations of female athletes to chase their dreams and conquer new heights.
For more information about the 2024 Kway Skyrun, please visit www.skyrun.co.za
How Team South Africa Performed on Tuesday
Three sporting codes represent Team SA at the Olympics on Tuesday, although none of them are involved in determining any medals.
Team SA sprinter Benjamin Richardson has been withdrawn from Paris 2024 and will take no further part in these Olympics. In confirming the news, the Team SA chief medical officer Dr Jean de Wilde said: “Benjamin sustained a hamstring injury in the men’s 200m heats on Monday and has been withdrawn from all further competition.”
Athletics:
Women’s 400m Repechage Round (Heat 2)
Miranda Coetzee ran her personal best time in the Repechage race, qualifying for the Semi-Final on Tuesday, 7 August.
Men’s 400m Semi Final
Lythe Pillay finished seventh in his Semi-Final race. His position and time were, however, not enough to secure him a spot in the Final.
Men’s 400m Semi Final
Zakithi Nene finished sixth in his Semi-Final race. His position and time were, however, also not enough to secure him a spot in the Final.
Women’s 400m Hurdles Semi Final 1
Zeney Geldenhuys ran her personal best time in her Semi-Final race, finishing third. Her position and time were, however, not enough to secure her a spot in the Final.
Women’s 400m Hurdles Semi Final 2
Rogail Joseph also ran her personal best time in her Semi-Final race, finishing third. Her position and time were, however, not enough to secure her a spot in the Final.
Sport Climbing:
Women’s Boulder & Lead, Semi Final Boulder
Lauren Mukheibir had a challenging start to the competition, finishing 20th overall.
Men’s Speed – Qualification
Joshua Bruyns was eliminated in the Qualification Elimination heats, preventing him from progressing to the Final.
Canoe Sprint:
Men’s Kayak Double 500m Heats
Hamish Lovemore and Andrew Birkett finished second in their Quarter-Final race, securing a position in the Semi-Final.
Women’s Kayak Double 500m Heats
Esti Olivier and Tiffany Amber Koch finished 6th in their Quarter-Final race and did not manage to qualify for the Semi-Final.
How Team South Africa Performed On Monday
Monday’s events were primarily at the Stade de France, where athletics took the spotlight for Team SA.
Team SA began the day with four medals: Tatjana Smith (one gold and one silver), the men’s sevens rugby team (bronze), and Alan Hatherly (bronze).
Prudence Sekgodiso finished eighth in the 800m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday night with a time of 1:58.79.
Wayde van Niekerk and Shaun Maswangani both secured third place in their respective 200m heats, advancing directly to the semi-finals. However, Benjamin Richardson suffered a leg injury during his heat, though he still recorded a time that keeps him in contention for the repechage, provided he is fit to compete.
Athletics:
Men’s discus throw qualification (Group A)
Francois Prinsloo finished 13th in his qualification round. His distance was, however, outside the required overall top 12 distances to qualify for the Final.
Men’s discus throw qualification (Group B)
Victor Hogan also finished 13th in his qualification round. His distance, too, was outside the required overall top 12 distances to qualify for the Final.
Men’s 400m Repechage Round (Heat 2)
Lythe Pillay finished first in his heat of the Repechage round, qualifying automatically for the Semi Final on Tuesday, 6 August.
Men’s 400m Repechage Round (Heat 3)
Zakithi Nene won his heat of the Repechage round to automatically qualify for the Semi Final on Tuesday, 6 August.
Women’s 400m Round 1
Miranda Coetzee finished 4th in her heat, which was outside the automatic qualification for the Semi Final. She still has an opportunity to qualify from the Repechage round on Tuesday, 6 August.
Men’s 200m Round 1 (Heat 1)
Wayde van Niekerk finished third in his heat, achieving automatic qualification for the Semi Final on Wednesday, 7 August.
Men’s 200m Round 1 (Heat 3)
Benjamin Richardson suffered an injury in the final stretch of the race and was not able to achieve the standard to qualify automatically for the Semi Final. He still has the opportunity to participate in the Repechage round to qualify for the Semi Final.
Men’s 200m Round 1 (Heat 5)
Shaun Maswanganyi finished third in his heat, achieving automatic qualification for the Semi Final on Wednesday, 7 August.
Women’s 8 00m Final
The main highlight from a South African perspective was Prudence Sekgodiso, who was seen as a potential medal contender for Team SA. Unfortunately, she finished eighth in the 800m final, crossing the line in 1:58.79 after visibly tiring in the last 50 meters. The gold was claimed by Keely Hodgkinson with a time of 1:56.72. Despite the result, Sekgodiso’s performance at her first Olympics demonstrated that she belongs at this level, showing promise for the 2028 Games.
During the race, Sekgodiso was forced wide early on and positioned herself in fourth alongside Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma. She stayed with the leaders, but was kept wide on the far turn, ultimately losing pace in the final straight. Reflecting on the race, she said, “The plan was to stick with the girls for as long as I could. I know I’m not good in the final 100m and when I saw the girls coming past me, I thought I must just keep my head up and keep going. I’m so happy I made the final, it means a lot to me.”
She also shared her struggles with recovery, mentioning that the demanding schedule of three races in three days was tough, requiring her to take sleeping pills to rest. These Olympics have taught her valuable lessons about racing and recovery, which will benefit her in future competitions.
Sport Climbing:
Men’s boulder & lead, Semi Final Boulder
Mel Janse van Rensburg finished tied for 19th in the competition, unfortunately not making the required top 8 to qualify for the Semi Final.
Women’s Speed, Qualification Seeding Heats
Aniya Holder managed to achieve her Personal Best time of 9.12 seconds in the qualification heats. Her time in the elimination heats was, unfortunately, not good enough to secure passage to the next round.
Team South Africa’s Sunday Results
Sunday was a busy day for Team SA, featuring events in athletics, cycling, and golf. Star sprinter Akani Simbine reached the final of the men’s 100m when he won his semi-final in an impressive 9.87sec, He then went even faster for a lifetime best 9.82, but had to settle for fourth, for the second successive Games.
Athletics:
Men’s 100m, Semi Finals & Final
South African sprinter Akani Simbine reached the men’s 100m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning his semi-final with an impressive time of 9.87 seconds. In the final, he achieved a personal best of 9.82 seconds, finishing fourth for the second consecutive Games. Simbine had been the fifth fastest qualifier after his semi-final win and a recent 9.86-second run in London. He had predicted that a sub-9.80 time would be necessary to win gold.
Long Jump Qualification:
Jovan van Vuuren’s leap of 7.70m was unfortunately not enough to be in the top 12 distances to qualify for the next round. Cheswill Johnson was also not able to get through to the next round, with a jump of 4.49m.
Women’s 400m Hurdles – Round 1
Rogail Joseph ran a personal best time in her heat, finishing 2nd. She automatically qualifies for the semi-final on Tuesday, 6 August.
Zeney Geldenhuys finished third in her heat, achieving automatic qualification for the semi-final on Tuesday, 6 August..
Men’s 400m Round 1
Lythe Pillay finished his race in 7th position, which was not enough for automatic qualification for the semi-final. He will run in the repechage race on Monday, 5 August.
Zakhiti Nene finished 4th in his race, which was one position outside of the automatic qualification for the semi-final.
He too will be running in the repechage race on Monday, 5 August.
Men’s 100m Semi Finals
Shaun Maswanganyi finished 5th in his semi-final heat, achieving a season-best time. However, his position and time were not good enough to qualify for the final.
Benjamin Richardson ran a time below 10 seconds, clinching 3rd position. His position and time were also not enough for him to qualify for the final.
Women’s 800m Semi Final
Prudence Sekgodiso finished 2nd in her heat, gaining automatic qualification for the final. The final will be run on Monday, 5 August.
Golf: Individual Stroke Play – Round 4
Final results: Christiaan Bezuidenhout finished in 16th position overall on 10 under par, shooting -2 on the final day. Erik van Rooyen finished in 17th position on 9 under par, shooting -1 on Sunday. Eventual winner, Scottie Scheffler, finished at -19, shooting -9 on the day.
Cycling: Women’s Road Race
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio finished the race in 33rd position, while Tiffany Keep did not manage to finish the race.
How Team South Africa Performed on Saturday
It was a busy day for Team SA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Golf: Individual Stroke Play – Round 3
Scores after Round 3: Christiaan Bezuidenhout Tied 13th (-8) shot 7 under par (64) today; and Eric van Rooyen Tied 13th (-8) shot 2 under par (69) on Day 3. Overall leaders at -14
Rowing: Women’s Single Sculls Final C
Paige Badenhorst finished 2nd in her C Final race. The result sees her
finishing 14th overall, out of 32 entrants in the competition
Cycling: Men’s Road Race
Ryan Gibbons finished the gruelling race in 69th position.
Athletics:
Men’s 100m, round 1, heats
Shaun Maswanganyi finished 3rd in his heat, managing to qualify for the Semi Final.
The Semi Final races will be run on Sunday, 4 August.
Men’s 100m, round 1, heats
Although Benjamin Richardson only managed a 4th place finish in his heat – and not achieving automatic qualification to the Semi Final; his time was good enough for a Semi Final berth.
Men’s 100m, round 1, heats
Akani Simbine was first in his heat, gaining automatic qualification for
the Semi Final race on Sunday, 4 August.
Men’s 1500m, Repechage:
Tshepo Tshite finished 4th in his Repechage heat, narrowly missing out
on automatic qualification for the Semi Final by a single position.
Men’s 1500m, Repechage:
Ryan Mphahlele finished 11th in his heat, having run at the front of all
the chasers for the majority of the race. His 11th place does not grant
him the opportunity to run in the Semi Final.
Hockey: Pool B, South Africa vs United States of America
Team South Africa’s women’s hockey team finished their Paris 2024 journey with a 1 – 0 loss against Team USA.
Team South Africa’s Friday Results
Team South Africa had phenomenal results on Friday, including a SA Record for Adriaan Wildschutt
Athletics:
Men’s 10 000m, final
Adrian Wildschutt set a new South African record of 26:50.64 in the men’s 10,000m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday. He finished the race in an impressive but exhausting performance under the stadium lights. The gold medal went to Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, who set an Olympic record of 27:24.25.
Wildschutt kept pace with the leading pack for most of the race and was in fourth place after 7000m. He only faded in the final lap. Reflecting on his performance, Wildschutt said, “I thought I ran really smart. I moved up and got myself in an amazing position. It was only in the last 300m that I started struggling. I’m very satisfied and grateful for everything I’ve accomplished so far.”
He added that his strategy, discussed with his coach, was to conserve energy and be ready for a fast final 1000m.
Women’s 800m, round 1, heats
Prudence Sekgodiso qualified for the 800m semifinals with a time of 1:59.84, finishing second in her heat. Despite the competitive nature of the heats, Sekgodiso comfortably secured her spot by following her race plan and staying relaxed.
She expressed her excitement, saying, “Everything went according to plan, and now I’ve made it to the semis.” After finishing behind Daily Cooper Gaspar of Cuba, Sekgodiso looked forward to the semifinals, noting the amazing crowd and her focus on sticking to her plan. “I’ve been running sub-two minutes for a long time. I made my move, gave it my all, and pushed through to come second. Now I’m getting my mind and body ready for the semi-final.”
Men’s shotput, qualification, Group B
Shot putter Kyle Blignaut failed to qualify for the final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. His throw of 20.78m placed him seventh in his group, just missing the top six needed to advance.
Reflecting on his performance, Blignaut said, “I feel in great form and have been working hard, but it’s not meant to be. I’ll have to wait another four years for the next Olympics.” He added that he hoped to honor his late coach, Pierre Blignaut, and looks forward to competing in future events like the world championships and Commonwealth Games. With a new Italian coach, Blignaut aims to be on the podium at the 2028 Olympics.
Men’s 1500m, round 1
Ryan Mphahlele finished 12th in his heat in 3:38.48, placing him 38th overall and into the repechage.
Tshepo Tshite finished 13th in his heat in 3:36.87, placing him 23rd overall and into the repechage.
The repechage races will be run on Saturday, the 3rd of August.
Rowing: Men’s Pair Final B
Christopher Baxter and John Smith finished their Paris 2024 journey
with a 3rd place finish in the Men’s Pair Final B race. This result places
them 9th overall out of the 18 teams that competed.
Swimming:
Men’s 100m Butterfly – Heats
Chad le Clos finished 2nd in his heat but was unable to reach the semi-finals, finishing 24th overall. In the same heat, Matthew Sates finished 7th in 54.53, which placed him 35th overall, also missing the top 16 semi-finalists.
Women’s 200m Individual Medley – Heats & Semi Final
Rebecca Meder finished 5th in her semi-final race, placing 11th overall, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. Earlier in the day, she finished 4th in her heat in 2:11.96, which secured her the 16th and last remaining spot in the evening’s semi-finals.
Golf: Individual Stroke Play – Round 2
Scores after Round 2: Erik van Rooyen is tied for 10th place (-6) after scoring 2 under par, 69; and Christiaan Bezuidenhout is tied for 35th place (-1) after scoring an even par, 71, on day 2.
Hockey: Men
Team South Africa’s men’s hockey team finished their Paris 2024 competition with a 5-2 win over hosts, France.