This same system can be used at ASA National Championships , in all disciplines and for each province , which again provides comparison of performance and depth year on year . Similarly , clubs or elite programmes can be evaluated at provincial championships , and thus this system can work from the base to the tip of the development pyramid . In major competitions , such as the African Games , Commonwealth Games and Olympics , it is also possible to combine scores from all sports to evaluate the entire TeamSA performance , again providing a marker for future years .
A new measurement system on athletic success could be applied even at provincial level
An added benefit of this deeper points system is that individuals can be given points goals in upcoming competition based on their selection performance . Performance can be rewarded for points earned that exceed expectation , or for national , continental , Olympic or World records achieved . This creates meaningful incentives for each and every athlete , even when their opportunity to win a medal is remote . At a provincial level , such a points scheme can be used even in an award or provincial colour scheme .
Elite Performance Rewards
Post-Tokyo , social media focused on what financial reward SA ’ s two 2021 medallists would receive , while many who had actually exceeded expectations will receive nothing for what may have been a massive improvement . Initial announcements immediately after the games left journalists understanding that there were no medal incentives for Tatjana Schoenmaker ’ s gold and silver medals , nor Bianca Buitendag ’ s silver .
A day later , a release claimed the media were ‘ wide of the mark ,’ and that negotiations continued , so there would be ‘ incentives ,’ but SASCOC had not wanted to ‘ distract ’ the team from performing by giving details before the Games . This was a strange statement , given the dictionary definition of incentive as ‘ a payment or concession to stimulate greater output or investment .’ Clearly the Italian athletes
Images : Roger Sedres / ImageSA , pngaaa . com & courtesy PUMA & Tokyo2020 . org
Infusion of New Technology
Two weeks prior to the Games , I had not expected any World Records in athletics , but had accepted that sprints and field events held the greatest potential for technology impact . Early in the nine days of athletic competition , however , that expectation was shattered , with three World Records being set , albeit that they were indeed in the short sprint and field events . The most dramatic was the men ’ s 400m hurdles , with Norway ’ s Karsten Warholm taking a massive 0.76 seconds off own World Record , set in July .
It had taken 44 years to reduce Edwin Moses ’ s 1977 World Record of 47.45 to Warholm ’ s 46.70 performance in July , but then in one performance in Tokyo , a similar amount was taken off just two weeks later ! That is not surely not solely due to physical ability , and the Norwegian openly admits it had a lot to do with his new spikes from PUMA , developed in collaboration with the Mercedes Formula 1 team . “ This collaboration was unique , and has given us the perfect product for us to work on the track - a spike that is really aggressive , with a really good forward
The new spike from PUMA incorporating Formula 1 technology
Karsten Warholm propulsion , and it gives me all the tools I need to be the best version of myself ,” he said .
Other athletes wearing the PUMA spikes also enjoyed great success . Canadian Andre de Grasse won gold in the 200m and bronze in the 100m , making him the most consistent sprinter in the world , while Sweden ’ s Mondo Duplantis related how the new technology felt like running barefoot in his gold medal 6.02m clearance in the pole vault , and his subsequent attempts at 6.19m to break his own 6.18m World Record . Italian Gianmarco Tamberi had clear jumps throughout the high jump , matching Qatar ’ s Mutaz Essa Barshim to share the gold medal , and US marathoner Molly Seidel , who recently moved to the PUMA Deviate plate
42 ISSUE 144 AUGUST 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za