TRACK & FIELD
Getting Back on Track
With Lockdown restrictions on training steadily being eased in the last few months , South Africa ’ s elite-level athletes have stepped up their training and even begun competing again . With the goal of qualifying for the postponed 2021 Olympics in Tokyo , the athletes have more than enough motivation to put in the hard yards now , as these University of Pretoria ( Tuks ) athletes are proving . – BY WILHELM DE SWARDT & SEAN FALCONER
Veteran Still Chasing Olympic Dream
Ruan de Vries
Having turned 34 in February , Ruan de Vries could be called the ‘ old man ’ of South African athletics . This season was his 17th year competing as a senior in the 110m-hurdles , and came on the back of a successful 2019 , when he completed his ‘ hat trick ’ by competing at the World Championships in Doha . He had also previously represented South Africa as a youth and junior athlete at World Champs level .
Looking to build on the momentum of 2019 , Ruan was aiming to qualify for the 2020 Olympics , because he says , “ One of the few things missing from my CV is getting to compete at the Olympic Games . I know it is going to be tough to qualify , but I owe it to myself to give it go .”
Life in Those Legs
Given his age and the sport shutting down completely in 2020 , some may have thought Ruan would choose now to put his spikes away for good , but he says that is not going to happen , because there is still something “ stirring ” to make him continue . “ There is this little voice that tells me I should not quit , because I still want to race that one perfect race ,” says Ruan .
“ For me , perfect does not necessarily equate to fast times . It is about the flawless execution of my technique . Last year for the first time , I ran four races without once touching a hurdle . I ended up running the two fastest times of my career – 13.42 and 13.45 seconds . Unfortunately , the wind from behind was 0.1metres per second too fast when running the 13.42 , but who knows what I am capable of the next time my execution is without fault ?”
That 13.45 personal best ranks the Tuks hurdler as the fourth-fastest man in the 110m hurdles in the history of South African athletics . Only Antonio Alkana ( 13.11 in 2017 ), Lehann Fourie ( 13.24 in 2012 ) and Shaun Bownes ( 13.26 in 2002 ) are quicker .
Looking back on his career , Ruan concedes that 17 years is a long time to be hurdling , but he says he still enjoys competing . “ I might not have made money from running , but I have no regrets . I have been privileged to go to more than 40 countries , and in doing so , I gained invaluable life experience . You can ’ t buy that .
Rikenette Steenkamp
Decision Pending for Hurdles Star
time she had competed indoors . She only once got to compete outdoors in the 100m-hurdles , during the Gauteng North Championships at Tuks , which she won in a time of 13.22 .
Should I still race this season , or just focus on next year … that is the debate that SA 100m hurdles record-holder Rikenette Steenkamp has been having with herself for months , and she says she has yet to make a final decision . “ As athletes , we are used to having a specific goal , and a timeframe in which to achieve it . That is what motivates you . But due to the COVID-19 pandemic , everything has changed . Things are sort of hanging in the air at the moment . We are training , but we are not sure why , and being so uncertain is frustrating ,” she says .
Prior to the lockdown , the Puma-Tuks hurdler had been in fine form . In February , she twice broke the South African Indoor Record for the 60m hurdles , clocking times of 8.29 seconds in Glasgow , and then 8.17 in Madrid . It was the first
Rikenette also holds the SA 100m hurdles record . During the Resisprint International Track and Field meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds , Switzerland in 2018 , she clocked a time of 12.81 . On the same evening , during the heats , she won in 12.70 , but that was with the benefit of a + 2.2m / s tailwind , and thus the mark did not count as a record .
Difficult Decision
Getting back to the dilemma about competing again in 2020 season , Rikenette says , “ To be honest , I still have to decide whether it is worth my while to compete this year . I would prefer not to race as late as October , as the aim is to compete indoors again next year , which means my 2021 season will start earlier .”
“ If I should decide to compete now , the immediate question that springs to mind is how am I going to benefit from it ? I could try and run 13.2 seconds , to sort of keep the momentum going . It might , however , be challenging , especially since I have not hurdled in the last four months . I have no idea what shape I am going to be in . In the end , everything will depend on the opportunities of where and when I might get to race , and what my sponsor ’ s expectations are .”
The Puma-Tuks athlete adds that her coach , Hennie Kriel , has for years wanted to have time to work on getting her physically stronger and faster , but due to her competition schedule , it had never been possible . “ There will never be a better time than now to do so ,” she says .
Images : Reg Caldecott & Andries Kruger
34 ISSUE 133 SEPTEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za