Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 131, June 2020 June 2020 | Page 52

TRACK & FIELD
10.01 respectively. Akani explained that while settling
into his starting blocks on the day, he only had one
mindset, to push himself to the utmost without getting
injured. “I wanted to be fast and it was exciting to
open my season running 9.91. I know I am capable
of being even faster, because my technical execution
was far from perfect.”
In the final, Akani was seen aiming ‘pistol shot’ hand
gestures towards rival and fellow Tuks sprinter Henrico
Bruintjies in the final metres, as Henrico finished
second. “It was not intended to be disrespectful to
anyone. I did so in the heat of the moment, because
I had a bad start to my race, but was able to make a
comeback and win. That excited me.”
While the provincial title was up for grabs, probably of
more importance was Olympic qualification. Akani’s
times of 9.91, 10.03 and 10.01 on the day were all
within the 10.05 qualifying standard for the Tokyo
Games, which at the time still scheduled to take place
in 2020. Now that the Games have been postponed to
2021, Akani will need to qualify again early next year,
but he has his sights set on much higher goals than
just getting to the
Olympics again. “The
ambition for Tokyo
2021 is gold. I think
about winning gold,
and I can imagine
myself crossing that
finish line first, being
the fastest man.”
“I’m so focused on
that, so I don’t really
even think about
pressure. It wasn’t
always that way,
though. In 2012 I
remember the final
where I tensed up in the last 10 metres. The pressure
must have caught up with me, and I got beaten by a
whole lot of guys. I was just this kid who was stepping
into athletics back then... Now I’ve gone from being
a lane-filler to being a medal contender. Now I don’t
tense up in the last 10 metres. It’s just maturity, and
being able to believe in yourself.”
He adds that running wasn’t always his main goal
when he was growing up. “The moment I decided to
make running a profession was when I was faster than
the competition. I believe that everyone comes with
a purpose, and my purpose is to run. Now the aim is
to be the best I can when the Olympic Games should
go ahead.”
Thanks to the University of Pretoria (TuksSport) and the adidas Faster Than project for the basis of this article.
Can’t Wait to ‘Fly’ Again
South African 400m-hurdles women’s champion Zeney van der Walt enjoys playing with her dogs, and from time to
time watches television, but for her, the best is still hurdling at speed. The last time she raced competitively was more
than eight months ago, during the World Championships in Doha, and needless to say, she can’t wait to be back on the
athletics track flying over the hurdles.
of lapsed concentration could be the difference
between winning and losing,” she says.
There is, however, a real chance that Van der Walt
might not be racing internationally at all this season.
“No final decision has been made, but it might not
be a bad idea to write the season off and instead
focus on next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo,” says
her coach, Maritza Coetzee. “It serves no purpose
for Zeney to race only for the sake of doing so.”
According to Maritza, the past few months of
lockdown have been put to good use. “I got two
physiotherapists to do a body map on Zeney to
identify her strengths and weaknesses. One of the
things they picked up on is a slight weakness with
her feet when she runs, and she has been doing a lot
of strengthening exercises. Also, she has been doing
some hill work, and I was surprised at how strong
Zeney is. She is going to continue getting faster.”
Zeney adds that she would relish the opportunity
to compete in the 4x400m relay as well in Tokyo.
“To me, the relay is unique, as it is one of the
few opportunities in athletics where you get to
compete as a team. During the 2017 Youth World
Championships in Kenya, I was part of the mixed
relay team that won a bronze medal, and that was
truly a special moment. To help win that extra medal
for South Africa is my way of thanking everyone for
their support,” she says.
Meanwhile, the one good thing that has apparently
come about from the lockdown is that Zeney
has had more time to play more with the family’s
dogs, which she says helps her to relax. In fact,
she actually ended up becoming a sort of fitness
instructor for one of the dogs, which she says needs
to lose some weight!
The former Under-18 (Youth) and Under-20
(Junior) World Champion is counting down
the days to when she will be allowed back
on the track, doing what she loves most, which is to
hurdle. “The 400-metre hurdles is a unique race. You
have to overcome ten sets of hurdles racing against
the stopwatch. It boils down to being physically
as well as mentally at your best, and one moment
Doing the Hard Yards
For her part, Zeney is a firm believer in not resting on
one’s laurels, and in spite of being a two-time agegroup
World Champion, she says there is still a lot of
work to do before the 2021 Games. “You can always
improve on something. Last year was the first time I
competed at a senior World Championship. It was a
definite reality check, and I realised that I need to be
mentally tougher. In Doha, it seemed as if most of the
athletes were stronger and faster than I am. That led to
me overthinking my race, and getting stressed out, so I
have to work on being focussed only on my own race.”
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ISSUE 131 JUNE 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za