Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 120, July 2019 | Page 55

TRACK & FIELD
shot put at their athletics championships. I still
remember fondly the words of the short lieutenant
when I stood on the podium to receive my award,
alongside the two who came first and second, both
enormously tall and large. He said warmly as he shook
my hand, “It is nice to see the small men shaping
amongst the big men.”
Borg
Stannius
After the Navy I went to UCT to study Civil
Engineering, then doing a Masters in Coastal
Engineering. Initially I was involved in Harbour
design and construction, and since Mossgas moved
into sub-sea engineering, worked primarily in the
offshore oil and gas sector. After the Navy I also
gave up athletics till I was in my late thirties, when I
started marathon running, and then when I turned 40
started Masters athletics. My first goal was to receive
provincial colours, which I first achieved in high jump
and then subsequently in discus, shot put, javelin and
hammer. The next goal was national colours. In my
fifties I qualified once, but could not get the necessary
second qualifier. In my early sixties I had a running
slip and fall, where I severely tore my left hamstring,
which required surgery and put me out of athletics for
a while.
GETTING BACK INTO THINGS
shot, the discus, the javelin and the weights throw,
together with the throws pentathlon, which involves
all the throws combined, and I have established
new South African records since 1980 in all the age
groups. I have on a number occasions competed in
national champs in both New Zealand and Denmark
during visits to family, and made myself most
unpopular with the locals, as I always won all events.
BIGGEST MOMENTS
The highlight for me was participating in the World
Champs in Brazil in 2013, bringing six gold medals
back to South Africa. We were 62 Master athletes
from South Africa that took part, all paying for
ourselves, contrary to some athletes that are able to
turn their sport into an income-producing career. (Yes,
that’s jealousy.)
Get on the right diet...
porridge for breakfast,
a bit of meat, one
vegetable and plenty
of gravy. No grass
(salad). Stick to this
and it will get you to
an old age and keep
you going in more ways
than one. Lastly, I would like to thank fellow
athletes and officials for the good companionship and
encouragement, in particular from Steve Johnson,
Anton Wale, Shukri Wiener and fellow members of the
‘Heavy Metal Gang.’
Anton Wale (age 67)
My uncle Laurie Wale was a very successful thrower,
having in his younger days broken the UCT records
in shot put, discus and javelin, so my older brother
and I were induced into throwing at an early age.
Besides rugby, which was played in the winter at
school (Bishops), I focused on athletics in the summer
months. I partook in high jump, discus and to a lesser
degree shot put whilst at school,
Upon leaving school in 1970, I did national service in
the SA Navy, where I came third in the Navy under-19
My uncle was one of the original Veteran (now
Masters) athletes, which is partly why I re-engaged
with Masters athletics at age 65. At the SA Champs
in Bloemfontein in 2017, I won the gold for all six of
the events (shot put, discus, javelin, hammer, weight
and the throws pentathlon) and achieved my national
colours in both shot and discus. Now my goal is to
break the SA Record in the discus, and thereafter to
qualify for national colours in all six of the throwing
disciplines. I have also rekindled my interest in long
distance running, focusing on the Cape Town and
Foot of Africa Marathons, which I have done for the
last three years, but now want to do both of them
walking instead of running.
My most memorable event was throwing the weight
in the Western Province Champs when I was in my
fifties. This is thrown like the hammer, but is double
the weight and on a shorter tether. I entered the
ring and saw that there were other competitors in
my line of sight, inside the netted throwing sector,
so I told the officials, who set about getting them
to move. I then went to the back of the ring, facing
backwards, and started my winds and then turns to
build up speed. After three turns I let the 11kg weight
go, and to my horror saw that it was following an
arc straight toward three women competitors. They
tried to move, but it hit the one lady in the top of the
back and she collapsed, lying motionless for twenty
Anton Wale
Another highlight was setting a World Record at a
Western Province meeting on 8 December 2018,
for which I received a beautiful framed certificate. I
bettered the same record at the 2019 South African
Champs on 4 May. Being chosen as the Master
Athlete of the Year in 2005, 2010 and 2013 were also
proud moments.
I would like to mention that at all times when
competing abroad or locally, I have been very proud
to represent South Africa and the Pinelands Athletics
Club. As for a few words of advice for other athletes:
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