Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 113, December 2018 | Page 29

World Class
TRACK & FIELD
Masters
There has been a massive resurgence of South African track and field over the last few years, particularly in sprinting,
resulting in numerous new SA Records and a raft of medals coming back to SA from the Olympics, Commonwealth Games,
World Champs and other meets, but in the meantime our Masters athletes have steadily been building on the country’s
long-standing tradition of doing well on the world stage. This was once again the case at the recent World Masters Athletics
Championships, held in Málaga, Spain. – BY SEAN FALCONER (WITH FRED CLEMENTS)
W
international outing, and Ronel Viljoen
came so close to adding another when
she finished fourth in the tough W35-
39 5000m, in spite of a serious injury,
and competing against some current
IAAF senior level athletes. Meanwhile,
the other women’s walkers, Celeste
Scheepers, Celesete Ruck and Sophia
Coetzee all achieved new PB’s in Malaga
to add to the celebrations.
ith over 8100 athletes from
more than 100 countries
competing in the 23 rd
bi-annual World Masters Athletics
Championships in Spain in September,
the 86-strong South African team
did exceptionally well to return home
with 36 medals (12 gold, 10 silver and
14 bronze), as well as eight new SA
Masters Records set along the way. It
was yet another brilliant performance
for our Masters athletes, who compete
in five-year age categories from the
age of 35 upwards, all the way up to
athletes in their 80s and 90s.
The rest of the medals won by South
Africans included silver medals for
Winnie de Winnaar (400m, W50-54), Jan
Swanepoel (Discus, M45-49), Hellen
Knobel (Hammer Throw, W50-54, who
added two bronze medals in the Javelin
and Throw Pentathlon) and Dereck
Sterley (Javelin, M70-74). There were
also bronze medals for Jakobus Van Zyl
(400m, M80-84), Ida-Marie Strydom
(Pole Vault, W40-44), Philip van der Walt
(Long Jump, M40-44), and Ibet Allen (Half
Marathon, W40-44), while the 4x100m
relay team of Anthony Solomons, Alec
Toll, Deon Cotzee and Maurice Fortuin
took the bronze in the M45-49 category.
Here’s to the Heroes
Our gold medallists – and thus newly
crowned World Champions – included
two stellar performances by Spencer
Moraope, who won both the 400m and
800m in the highly competitive M45-49
age category, with a new SA Record
in the 400m as well. Gold medals also
went to Aletta ‘Toy’ Ungerer (100m,
W70-74, who also won a silver medal in
the 200m), Pieter Koekemoer (400m
Hurdles, M35-39, new SA Record),
Wilhelm Pauer (Javelin, M50-54, new
SA Record) and Andrzej Rzepecki
(Weight Throw M80-84, who also won
silver in the Throw Pentathlon and
bronze in the Hammer Throw).
Looking ahead
However, the standout performer of
the meet was race walker Elsa Meyer
(W70-74), who was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (Bronze level) by the State
President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, earlier this year for her outstanding
contribution to the field of senior athletics. She returned from Málaga with three
individual gold medals in the 5000m, 10km and 20km, and added a gold in W65-69
20km team event with Winnie Koekemoer and Hildegard Vey, as well as a silver
in the W65-69 10km team event as part of the same threesome.
The race walkers in the SA team won a total of nine medals between them, with
Hildegard (W75-79) the other big contributor with a silver in the 20km and bronze
medals in the 5000m and 10km, to go with her team events gold and silver medals.
Also, Mariaan Serdyn claimed the bronze medal in the 20km (W45-49), in her first
According to Fred Clements of South
African Masters Athletics (SAMA), the
national body is hoping to get more
athletes involved in the Masters scene in
2019. While the country has strength in
depth in the sprints, throws and walking
events, he says a big focus will be on
growing participation in the middle and long distance running events. “What is very
disappointing is the lack of masters competing in the 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m and
steeple chase track events, as well as the half marathon and cross country events,
taking into cognisance our overall road running and cross country race results,
times and large participation,” he says.
“Our goal is to have the strongest possible team to represent South Africa at the next
World Masters Athletic Championships in Canada in 2020, so we want to encourage
and inspire masters athletes to join SAMA and train to qualify for World Champs.
After all, they say that if you want to be healthy and fit, and see the most interesting
and beautiful places and people in the world, you join Masters Athletics!”
Records Tumble in Málaga
The following athletes set new South African Masters Records at the recent World Champs in Spain:
•
•
•
•
Spencer Maroape – 400m: 51.07 (M45-49)
Salome Vermeulen – 800m: 2.21.43 (W50-54)
Pieter Koekemoer – 400m Hurdles: 52.93 (M35-39)
Ida-Marie Strydom – Pole Vault: 3.10m W40-44)
•
•
•
•
Stephanie Claassen – Heptathlon: 4977 (W65-69)
Wilhelm Pauer – Javelin: 67.87m (M50-54)
Heleen Knobel – Javelin: 34.44m (W50-54)
Dereck Sterley – Javelin: 41.43m (M70-74)
For more info on SAMA, go to
www.mastersathletics.org.za,
and look out for more articles on
our Master athletes in coming
editions of the magazine.
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