TRACK & FIELD
GREAT Expectations
While some described Clarence Munyai ’ s fourth place in the Commonwealth Games 200m final as disappointing , it was actually an incredible achievement by an emerging young star . – BY SEAN FALCONER
One of the headlines on a well-known South African online sport portal that caught the eye during the recent Commonwealth Games in Australia was “ Munyai Flops in 200m Final on Gold Coast .” That headline showed just how much expectation SA ’ s sprinters currently carry on their shoulders . After all , it wasn ’ t so very long ago that our men ’ s sprinting was in the proverbial doldrums , with the SA Record for 100m having been stuck on 10.06 for more than 20 years , and none of our sprinters making finals on the world stage , let alone medalling .
However , in the last few years the 10-second barrier has been beaten by five SA speedsters , including Akani Simbine , who made the 100m final at the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Champs , while Wayde van Niekerk has dominated the 400m at Olympics and World Champs , with a World Record as well . We also had Anaso Jobodwana in the 200m final of the 2012 Olympics , and he won bronze at the 2015 World Champs .
Meanwhile a crop of sprinting youngsters , including Clarence , were coming through the ranks , medalling numerous times at World Youth and World Junior
Champs and pointing to even bigger things to come in SA men ’ s sprinting . And while the focus was on Akani in Australia – which he responded to by winning the gold medal in the 100m final , with teammate Henricho Bruintjies claiming the silver – there was also immense pressure on Clarence , especially after his recent performances on SA soil . He went on to finish a very commendable fifth in the 200m final , later being promoted to fourth following the disqualification of the winner for a lane infringement , but that prompted the “ Flop ” headline , and some people seemed to have forgotten that Clarence only just turned 20 , and this was his first major final at senior level . In other words , it was nowhere near being a flop !
YOUTHFUL SUCCESS
In 2016 Clarence won the SA Senior and Junior 200m titles , and finished fourth in the 200m final at the IAAF Under-20 Championships in Bydgoszcz , Poland . His win at the senior SA Champs made him the secondyoungest ever National Champion , and one of only three 18-year-olds to win an SA title . That saw him selected for the 2016 Rio Olympics , alongside friend , rival and fellow 18-year-old Gift Leotlela . In Rio , neither was able to progress past the first round of the
200m , but they took home invaluable experience of competing at the highest level . Then in 2017 he won the African Under-20 Champs 200m gold medal , and represented SA at the World Champs in London , but was unfortunately disqualified in the first round for stepping out of his lane .
Fast-forward to 2018 and Clarence has enjoyed a breakthrough season . At the Gauteng North Champs in late February , he clocked 10.10 for 100m , improving his personal best from 10.20 – and if he had done so just four days earlier he would have set a new SA Junior Record , but he turned 20 on 20 February . Afterwards , he said he was ecstatic about his performance , but he still preferred the longer sprint event . “ The 200 metres is my favourite distance – I am way faster in it – but I know I am capable of running a sub-10 for 100 metres and sub-20 for 200 if the conditions are right . But I am not going to get obsessed with it . It will happen . I just need to make sure that I keep on doing the small things right .”
Just three weeks later he lived up to those words . At the SA Champs , in front of his home crowd at Tuks , he smashed the SA Record for 200m with a time of 19.69 seconds , eclipsing the 19.84 set by Wayde in 2017 and giving him the tenth-fastest time ever in the world . He was justifiably proud of the achievement : “ I ’ m only 20 years old , and to run 19.69 at my age is something I never dreamt would happen . That is why I almost did a complete victory lap afterwards !”
HOPES OF A NATION
That saw Clarence head to Australia as the fastest man in the world this year , with many in SA expecting him to return with a medal , but a tightening hamstring saw him slow up perceptibly with 50m to go in the semi-final , where he finished second in 20.36 with the overall second-fastest qualifier . Then he clocked 20.58 for his eventual fourth position in the final , but aggravated the hamstring strain , and was thus forced to withdraw from the SA 4x100m relay team that went on to win a scintillating silver medal .
Although disappointed , Clarence still managed to take the positive from his Australian outing . “ Unfortunately , the hamstring injury that hindered me in the heats flared up again , and I knew it was going to be a tough challenge even before I settled in the starting blocks . Still it was my first major final , so I am happy to have finished . And now that I have done a 19.69 , I think it will obviously put me under pressure . I will have to step-up my game !”
Images : Roger Sedres / ImageSA & Reg Caldecott
30 ISSUE 107 JUNE 2018 / www . modernathlete . co . za