TRACK & FIELD
Motivated to Fly in 2021
With lockdown regulations now mostly relaxed and elite athletes once again allowed to train normally , SA ’ s stars are working hard to get back into top racing shape , including hurdler Rivaldo Roberts and evergreen javelin star Sunette Viljoen . – BY WILHELM DE SWARDT with SEAN FALCONER
Rivaldo Roberts
Stepping
Down to Step Up
Rivaldo Roberts will hopefully know by the end of April next year whether his decision to switch back to 110m-hurdles is the right one .
While still at school , Rivaldo was considered to be a 110m hurdles champion in-the-making , and with good reason . He was the national under-18 champion , had represented South Africa at the World Youth Championships , and subsequently went on to win a bronze medal at the African Under-20 Championships . When not competing himself , he was inspired by his heroes on the track , and says that he has always been a huge fan of athletics : “ Getting to watch the heroics of the legendary Usain Bolt and South Africa ’ s Llewellyn Herbert on television helped inspire me to have my own dreams of being fast .”
However , everything changed when he was convinced by his coaches that he should switch to running the 400m hurdles instead of the 110m event . In hindsight , that move might be perceived as a mistake . By all means , Rivaldo had his moments of success and glory on the track , but they were few and far between , and 2015 was the last time he was selected for any South African team . He was slowly fading from the athletics scene , and that had really begun to bother the Tuks hurdler . He was not training to become a mere also-runner , but he realised he is not getting any younger . ( Next year he will turn 25 .)
Turning the Clock Back
So , at the beginning of this year , things got to a point where he and his coach , Riana Raath , sat down to discuss the way forward , and they decided that a switch back to the high hurdles was the way to go . The national lockdown then turned out to be a blessing in disguise , as it enabled Rivaldo to focus on training and relearn what it takes to be fast over 110m , without being under any pressure from having to race as yet . That also gave him time to rediscover his love for the sport . “ Being back to basically sprinting is a relief , and I can ’ t wait to race the 110m hurdles . For the first time in nearly five years , it feels like there is a fire burning inside me , and the hunger to represent South Africa is back .”
When asked what it takes to be a good 110m-hurdler , Rivaldo answers that is a challenging combination that athletes aspire to put together . “ You need to have the speed and power of a sprinter , as well as the flexibility of a gymnast , and you need to be aggressive . It is , however , important to control your aggression . If you let it get the better of you , it is going to slow you down .” On a related note , Rivaldo says he does not think too much when he races . “ To me , everything boils down to muscle memory . Doing what you have trained to perfection . Only one thing matters . That is getting from start to finish in the quickest possible time , never once touching a hurdle .”
Unfinished Business
Now in her late 30s and having been competing on the world stage since 2003 , some may think javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen would be considering retirement from top level competition , but she says there are a few things that keep her going .
Getting the javelin to fly 70 metres through the air , and to enjoy a good
“ jol ” on the sports fields are the two main goals Olympian Sunette Viljoen has set herself over the next year . This might sound like a contradiction – after all , sport is about dedication and discipline – but Sunette has carefully planned as to how she is going to balance the serious and fun sides of things .
Viljoen has moved to Stellenbosch in the Western Cape to coach at Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof , but that is only half of it . She has also started an Athletics Academy , and her aim is to teach kids between the ages of six and 10 the essential
skills that are required in athletics . “ I really want to make a difference in the lives of kids . It is my passion , and that is why once a week , I intend to go to the more impoverished communities in the Western Cape to ‘ jol ’ with the kids . We are going to do fun things like running and jumping , kicking a ball , and playing touchies .”
“ For that hour or so , the kids should just be kids and forget about everything else , and I think it is going to relax me as well . I am , after all , a kid in a grownup ’ s body ! But the most important thing through all this interaction with the kids is to make them understand that anything is possible if you are committed to doing the hard work . Success does not just happen . You have to work for it .”
Images : Reg Caldecott
40 ISSUE 135 NOVEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za