TRACK & FIELD
Spurred on by Friendly Rivalry
Lindsay Hanekom
South African 400m hurdles champion Lindsay Hanekom thought he knew what it is like to experience the ultimate adrenaline rush . “ I had the privilege to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games and last year ’ s World Championships . Getting to settle in my starting blocks in front of thousands of spectators is the ultimate rush .”
Of course , that just means he wants more of the same , and thus the Tuks athlete says his aim is still to establish himself as a world-class hurdler . He adds that he has had a lot of time while ‘ locked down ’ to reflect on what he needs to do to achieve that . “ I have to become much faster . A ‘ high ’ 48 seconds is not going to cut it in international athletics . Last year we had two athletes dipping under 47 seconds in the 400 hurdles , with another dipping under 48 seconds . Another seven ran times faster than 48.50 , so it is an exciting time to be a hurdler .”
Pushing Each Other On
During last year ’ s South African Championships in Germiston , Lindsay set a new personal best when he won the national 400m hurdles title in a time of 48.82 , and he ended the season ranked 20th-fastest in the world . One of the reasons he is confident about being faster next year , when athletics hopefully returns to normal , is because his training partner at Tuks is Sokwakhana Zazini , a former Youth and Junior World Champion , as well as an age-group World Record Holder .
“ There is a healthy rivalry between us , but it will never get bitter ,” says Lindsay . “ Firstly , we are friends . That only changes for a few seconds when we are racing . I want to beat Socks and vice-versa . Whoever wins is the best man on the day . For the loser , it is a case of going back to the drawing board .”
“ The reason I love racing against Socks is because of his tenacity . He truly wants to be the best every time he races . It is a given that if I can stick with him , that it is going to be a fast time . We are in agreement that the onus is on us to revive South Africa ’ s proud legacy in the 400m hurdles . The challenge is to see who is going to be first to go faster than the 47.66 that LJ van Zyl ran in 2011 when he set the South African Record . However , it will be foolish to think that next year is only going to be about Socks and me in the local races . Experience has taught me never to underestimate anyone .”
Rynardt van Rensburg
Lockdown a Blessing in Disguise
Tuks 800m athlete Rynardt
van Rensburg has specific numbers in mind for next year when he once again sets out to challenge the world ’ s best . “ The aim is to consistently run times of one minute and 44 seconds , or faster . That ought to be good enough to ensure I am up there with the front runners .”
Granted , that is faster than his current personal best of 1:45.15 , set in 2018 in the Netherlands , but Rynardt believes he can do it , mainly thanks to the COVID-19 lockdown . In the last few years , just as he gets close to peak fitness , he has been sidelined by frustrating injuries . For example , towards the end of last year , he was slowed down by a hip injury . Thanks to lockdown , however , he says his body has had ample time to recover , as he did not train for a full two months . “ I am actually sort of grateful for the national lockdown ,” he admits .
Tactical Dilemma
Rynardt represented South Africa at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing as well as the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio , but says he is still trying to work out which racing tactics work best for him . As a junior , he liked to race from the front , but when he started running against the ‘ elder statesmen ,’ he opted for a more tactical approach . What confuses him slightly is that the day he ran his personal best time , he was racing from the front .
“ Perhaps it is best not to overthink a race , and just take each race as it comes . When racing in Europe , it does not help to try and run from the front , as there is usually a pacemaker for the first 400 metres . Leaving it too late and banking on your ‘ kick ’ is also a mistake , because nowadays every 800m athlete can accelerate over the last 150 metres of the race .”
Meanwhile , Rynardt has completed his degree in marketing , but has opted to continue coaching part-time at Hoërskool Garsfontein instead of finding full-time work , so that he can continue focusing on his athletic career . Fortunately , coaching is something that he is genuinely passionate about . “ High school coaches tend to push their athletes too hard , as it is all about winning medals . For me , it will always be about the bigger picture , and I try to inspire younger athletes to be in love with the sport . If I can succeed , it will hopefully mean that they will still be competing at a senior level .”
Thanks to the University of Pretoria ( TuksSport ) for the basis of this article .
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