Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 115, February 2019 | Page 43

TRACK & FIELD
a cross country and a track and field champ in my age category in the North West
North province, and be one of the top five performing athletes in South Africa in my
category. I also believe in team spirit and team work, and I align myself with people
who share my goals. I am dedicated to my training tasks, and I train as if today is
my last training day.
Running Focus
My running career started many years ago, when I was attending primary school,
which was about 10km away from my home, so I was walking 20km per day, and
100km per week. I think this is partly what strengthened my legs. When I was 12
years old I realised my running strength, because I was usually late to prepare for
my school day, therefore I was forced to run to reach school on time. I was also an
athlete, a gymnast as well as a soccer player at school.
I competed in track and field running, and cross-country, and I won all the races in
my age group category, but this was never enough for me, so I continued with my
training to improve my times. I did not have the fortune of a formal coach for my
youth years. Instead, I was always keen to attain new knowledge and strategies to
beat my competitors. I became both a physical coach and performance motivator
for myself.
I have about 100 medals in my collection now, including seven Comrades medals,
of which five are silver. I am working for gold now on the track. I am a member of
Madikwe Mambas Athletic team, and have been running in this team for about
nine years. We run to enhance our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing, as
well as community upliftment through observing and closing any gap observed in
needy communities. Our team is therefore a community-building project as well as
running athletic team. As a member of this structure I also have a responsibility to
see to it that our team grows in all the intended spheres of its mission.
Mentorship Role
I am also a coach for upcoming juniors and have about 10 athletes in my group
in Boitekong. We participate in track and field, cross country and road running.
My responsibility is to see that the athletes prepare mentally and physically, and
I assist them not only in training, but since most are scholars or unemployed,
and unfortunately come from financially disadvantaged families, I assist them in
all their athletic trips by transporting them with my own car to events. I see to it
that they are registered and take part for the day, and provide them with food and
refreshment post-race. I also buy running shoes for them to race in.
I was once a soccer coach to a youth team which managed to be the best around
Moruleng. The players I developed managed to dominate in skill, strength and
stamina, but unfortunately they turned out to be something other than what I
expected due to a lack of self-motivation, discipline and financial support. The sad
thing now is ganja legalisation. I do not want my runners to go that same road, so I
strive to serve as an example to them through my performances, and my behaviour
in and outside the field of sport.
I teach them accepted behaviour traits as responsible sportsmen and community
members. I teach them about sportsmanship, brotherhood and sharing, as most
athletic achievements come from teamwork, and I enhance their leadership
capabilities through sharing of tasks during training. I also teach them about
running principles and philosophies, planning of training as well as the physiology
of running. I want them to become independent athletes who will be able to
understand running in great detail, and I am building leaders and future coaches,
as well as elite athletes.
I would like to have at least two of my athletes in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Our
training plans consist mainly of 1500m, 800m and 400m programmes, and I have
four of my athletes in mind who could qualify in those events, Godfrey Malepe,
Phemelo Sefora, Amantle Modingwane and Kelebogile Kalayakgosi. We shift
around these programmes to maintain our speed and strength, and so far I think
this it is a working strategy.
Spanish Memories
I started serious training and competition for track and field in 2018 as part of a
campaign to qualify for the World Masters Championships in Malaga, Spain, last
September. The sad thing was that when news of our trip to Spain was announced,
I sent an email to various people asking for donations, but no one bothered to
come back to me in answering my emails. Something inside me said just continue
training, because sooner or later you will be a World Champion. Fortunately two
days before the closing date I received an email that informed me that I may go to
perform in Spain. I was so happy and we started communicating and making all
necessary arrangements, which under Andrew Van Zyl’s management went very
well. Lydia Stander then assisted me with transportation needs to and from Pretoria
or Johannesburg.
The World Champs was scheduled for nine days, with only one day’s rest. We
travelled on the 7th of September at 23h00 and arrived in Spain on the 8th around
09h00. We then took another three-hour flight to Malaga, before I could settle
in and prepare for my first race. My mission statement for Spain was to set and
achieve targets and move beyond my limits, including to break the 800m South
African record and to better my 400m SA record in my age category. I promised my
fellow South Africans a good performance and a fair win.
I participated in three events, the 400m, 800m and 1500m. We were divided
into groups of participants whereby position 1 and 2 in each heat qualified
automatically for the semi-final, as well as the fastest losers from the heats, and
then again to get into the final. I eventually ran seven races in six days time, with
only one rest day, and the 800m final and 400m heat were on the same day! I ran
the following races:
•
400m heat – position 1 (qualified automatically for semi-final)
•
400m semi-final – position 2 (qualified automatically for final)
•
400m final – position 1 (won the gold medal)
•
800m heat – position 2 (qualified automatically for semi-final)
•
800m semi-final – position 1 (qualified automatically for final)
•
800m final –position 1 (won the gold medal)
•
1500m - semi-final-position 3 (unfortunately did not progress to the final)
Overcoming Challenges
After my 800m semi-final, I received a negative message from home, there was no
medication at the clinic and it had to be closed for two days, but to be a champion,
you have to learn to handle stress and pressure. If you have prepared mentally and
physically, you don’t have to worry, so I went into the 800m final ready to race. I won
in 1:59.99, just failing to nail that SA Record of 1:59.09, but it makes me the second-
fastest South African 800m athlete in my category, to go with my SA Record in the
400m. Back home, I told the boys in my training group that the next World Masters
Championship I’ll pay for my trip and make sure that I go there again.
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