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Fresh faces and familiar winners feature on day 2 of SA champs

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Fresh faces and familiar winners feature on day 2 of SA champs

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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. 

How Team South Africa Performed On Monday

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on 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.