scorching 11.69 in the Girls U17 100m , and 23.92 in the Girls U17 200m , to win the Best Senior Girls Track Athlete award . Afrikaans Hoër Seuns thrower Hencu Lamberts also had a good day . Having represented his country at the recent World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru , he won the shotput at the Curro meet with an 18.40m heave , and claimed second place in the discus ( 50.55m ) to finish the competition as the Best Senior Field Athlete . |
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Curro Hazeldean High School secured a boys ’ team section maiden victory .
If the 110m hurdles for under-18 boys is anything to go by , South Africa looks to have produced yet another world class sprinter . Matodzi Ndou ’ s star shone the brightest at the recent Curro Podium North Athletics Meet in Tshwane on 18 September , when he clocked 12.94 seconds , becoming the first South African boy in his age category to dip under 13 seconds in the event . This not only gave the 17-yearold grade 11 learner from Curro Hazeldean a new SA U18 Record , but also moved him to third on the world all-time performance list for under-18 boys , and it was the fastest time in the world this year in his age category . Asked for his thoughts on his massive PB and SA Record , Ndou says , “ It feels great . It ’ s something that I ’ ve been planning , but I wasn ’ t really sure if I was going to run this fast . I ’ m still processing it all . It ’ s really amazing to run here with some of the best athletes .” His superlative run saw Ndou named best Senior Boys Track Athlete of the meet for the second consecutive year , and his performance helped the Curro Hazeldean Boys ’ team to a maiden victory in the boys ’ section of the meet , after taking second place in 2023 .
Earlier this year , Ndou won the 110m hurdles for boys under-18 at the 2024 Curro Podium Final in February , clocking 13.21 ( and also finishing second in the 400m hurdles in 52:03 ), then went on to win the Gauteng North provincial title in his age category in March , clocking a then personal best 13.15 , after running 13.19 in the first round heat ( and also taking second in the 400m hurdles final in 50.61 ). A few weeks later , at the SA U-18 Champs in Pretoria , he took the silver medal with a 13.28 finish . In April , Ndou stepped up to the senior level at the SA Champs in Pietermaritzburg and did well to make it to the final of the 400m hurdles , where he finished eighth .
Changing the Game
With Curro Hazeldean ’ s Olympic 4x100m relay silver medallist and double gold medallist at the World U20 Track and Field Championships in Peru , Bayanda Walaza watching from the stands , Ndou ’ s performance
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at the latest Curro meet was the highlight of the day , which saw over 2000 athletes from 55 schools in eight different athletics provinces vying to put their school amongst the 40 finalists that will make the cut to be part of the Curro Grand Finale next February . This competition is quickly growing into one of the most prestigious school athletics series in SA , producing world class performances and giving a new generation of track and field stars the opportunity to race at the top level .
What we have in mind when it comes to Curro Podium is to give athletes the opportunity to be exposed to a next level event . We see the bigger picture , and there is a clear indication that Curro ’ s backing of athletics at school level is revitalising and developing what has been a secondary discipline behind the likes of cricket , rugby and soccer . Indeed , we are pleased to see other schools now elevating their athletics programmes in light of the opportunities available and dreams that can come to fruition ” says Curro Sport Portfolio Manager , Cindy Van der Merwe . “ And it would make our hearts warm if , at the next Olympics in Los Angeles , we have four to six athletes representing South Africa that ran at our Podium Meets .”
Two of those 2028 Olympians will surely be Tukssport High School ’ s Selena Rocha , who produced a
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Bragging Rights
The overall competition was won by Hoërskool Menlopark , who placed third in both the girls ’ and boys ’ sections , earning enough points to defend their title from last year ’ s meet . The complete list of team winners is included in the sidebar on this page . The next leg of the Curro Podium Athletics competition will take place in the south of the country , at Dal Josaphat Stadium in Paarl , Western Cape , on Saturday 19 October , followed by the Grand Finale in February 2025 .
Best of the Best
Here are the team results from the Curro Podium North Athletics Meet at Pilditch Stadium , Tshwane on 18 September .
BEST GIRLS ’ TEAMS 1 Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool 2 Noordheuwel Hoërskool 3 Hoërskool Menlopark
BEST BOYS ’ TEAMS 1 Curro Hazeldean High School 2 Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool 3 Hoërskool Menlopark
BEST OVERALL TEAMS 1 Hoërskool Menlopark 2 Curro Hazeldean High School 3 Waterkloof Hoërskool
Hoërskool Menlopark defended their overall title .
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Images : Cecilia van Bers . |