Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 130, May 2020 | Page 49

There is a lot of talk
about sports events
happening behind
closed doors, but Danie
does not support the
idea. “Athletes need
fans to help them
perform at their best.
High Jumper Mutaz
Barshim’s performance
during last year’s World
Championships in Doha
is a good example. With the
crowd on their feet for every
jump, Barshim cleared 2.37 metres
on his first attempt. It was good enough
to ensure he won gold. What made it
remarkable is that he was still on a comeback after
undergoing ankle surgery. He admitted afterwards that if it
was not for the crowd support, he would not have been able to do what he did.”
Dealing with Disappointment
One of the country’s top
sprinters, South African
200m-record holder Clarence
Munyai, also feels that
the postponement of the
Olympics will actually benefit
the athletes, and is thus is
not disappointed about the
Games being postponed until
next year. “I am not surprised
about the International Olympic
Committee’s decision. We
all knew that due to the
coronavirus outbreak, it was
only a question of time. It is a
pity, but it is for the best,” he
says.
Clarence ranks 11th on the
World Athletics all-time list
after he clocked a time of
19.69 in the 200m in 2018.
He had qualified for the
Tokyo Games early in March
by running 20.23 during the
Gauteng North Champs, but
says the postponement could
actually be to his benefit.
“I am more motivated now,
as there is more time to prepare to be at my best for next year’s Games. There
are certain things in my technique I can still improve on. Also, the Olympics
should be showcasing the world’s best athletic talents. I am not so sure it would
have happened in Tokyo. There could have been a real chance of sick athletes
competing, or athletes getting sick while competing. A good thing about the IOC
decision is that everyone, we as athletes included, now only need to worry about
staying healthy.”
Wenda Nel
stage of my life, I am lucky to be in a position where I have opportunities outside of
athletics.”
The Next Generation
While Wenda is talking about hanging up her spikes soon, a youngster just starting
to make a name for herself in the sport is 19-year old Antoinette van der Merwe.
She is possibly one of South Africa’s most talented young female athletes, and last
year during the African Junior Championships, she won silver in the 200 metres
and 100m hurdles. In March she caused quite a stir in March when she clocked
11.49 in the 100 metres at the Gauteng North Championships, and her proud
coach, Wimpie Nel, is quick to point out it was the fastest time in the last 20 years
by a South African under-20 female sprinter. In fact, since 2017, only five senior
sprinters in SA have been able to clock faster times over 100 metres.
Her time was also quick enough to qualify for the World Junior Athletics
Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, in July, but this meet was subsequently
postponed, with an alternative date yet to be announced. Though disappointed,
Meanwhile, one of the veterans of South African women’s athletics, Wenda
Nel is more philosophical about the Olympic postponement. “I was looking
forward to competing in what possibly would have been my last Games, as I am
contemplating to retire at the end of the year,” says the eight-time South African
400m hurdles champion, who boasts a personal best time of 54.37.
Wenda says she must still decide whether she wants to carry on competing into
2021 and try to qualify for next year’s Games. “From a personal perspective, I
am in a good place. I am privileged to be part of a small group of South African
athletes to have competed at an Olympic Games, and I have competed in a World
Championships 400m hurdles final, won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth
Games, as well as titles at the African and South African Championships. Few
athletes can say they have achieved everything they set out to do, and at this
Antoinette van der Merwe
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