Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 117, April 2019 | Page 33

TRACK & FIELD
These athletes have in the past two years made a
point of competing at the SA Champs, as they believe
it is vital for the sport to put on a show for the South
African fans. This was made abundantly clear in 2016
when the #FillUpPotch campaign went viral, with the
athletes challenging each other on social media to put
on the best possible show at the Champs.
The ASA ruling for the 2019 Champs is more aimed
at athletes who do well in the preliminary heats and
semi-finals of their events, but then do not line up in
the finals due to an injury scare. This has in the past
robbed the spectator of some spectacular athletics,
so one can understand why ASA has included this
ruling. And it is not a bad call. If the sport is to grow at
home, then the National Championships have to be a
showcase.
The fact that South Africa has three defending
World Champions plays nicely into ASA’s hands,
especially in the 100m. While Akani is not the World
Champion, he gets a wildcard entry into the World
Championships courtesy of his African Champs title.
That means that if three further athletes qualify in
the 100m event, then South Africa could send four
sprinters to the World Championships, and with that,
the bulk of our relay team is already sorted. It’s a great
position to be in, and given the rapid development of
sprinting in the country over the last few years, it is
likely we will have four qualifiers.
Head versus Heart
There will be huge interest in how Wayde performs.
The Olympic and World Champion has missed
the entire 2018 due to a cruciate ligament and
meniscus injury picked up at the end of 2017. He
has already run the 400m this year at the Free State
Championships, and while his 47.28sec winning time
was nothing to write home about, the fact that he is
back on the track is the important thing.
Speaking after that first race, Wayde was very
pragmatic about the coming season. “It would be nice
to be in Doha later in the year, but I can’t tell just yet if
I will be there. My main target is the Olympic Games in
Japan next year, and I will be working as hard as I can
to make sure I’m in good shape for that.”
However, with a wildcard entry for Doha, Wayde
does not need to qualify, and can therefore focus
on getting into shape. He has gone on record
saying that his heart says go to World Champs, but
his head says wait and see, that he needs to be
realistic about what his body can produce. Either
way, seeing Wayde run at the SA Championships
will be a treat.
Red Hot Competition
Another highly anticipated event will be the men’s
long jump event. World Champion Luvo has already
secured a birth at the global showpiece in Doha, so
we could see four South Africans make the team
if they all hit the qualification standards. Ruswahl
Samaai is sure to do so, while Zark Visser recently
hit 8.41m at the Central Gauteng Championships and
should feature at the Nationals. That leaves the door
open for a potential fourth qualifier. Whoever goes to
Doha will certainly have their work cut out for them,
as Cuban Juan Miguel Echevarria recently landed an
8.93m jump, albeit with a massive wind-assist.
The spotlight in middle distances will fall on rising
star Ryan Mphahlele, who already ran a 3:39 for
the 1500m earlier this year in the rarefied air of
Potchefstroom, and that leading from the front.
Tshepo Tshite caused a sensation by winning the
800m at the Gauteng North Championships, clocking
a 1:44.69 in what appears to be fastest ever time
at altitude in South Africa. Are these two the new
generation South Africa has been craving to see in
the shorter middle distance events? Time will tell, but
their aggressive front-running style certainly has the
pundits excited.
More Questions
Of great interest will be what Caster decides to
do. Her case still lies with the Court of Arbitration
for Sport, where she has challenged the IAAF’s
new hyperandrogenism rule. Initially the CAS was
expected to deliver a ruling by 25 March, but has
now said they will rule by the end of April. This could
have a massive effect on Caster’s career, given that
the IAAF rule would require her to take medication
to reduce the naturally high testosterone levels in
her body.
Whatever happens at the SA Champs, the curtain
will come down on the local track and field season
with a whole host of current questions having been
answered. Of course, as the athletes then head
overseas for the European and American seasons,
many chasing World Champs qualification, a whole
new list of questions will undoubtedly have been
raised. These are exciting times for the sport.
33