This one will be a bit controversial , but I believe that that men ’ s U20 4x100m relay squad should be the best South African male athletes of 2021 . You could argue that Akani Simbine deserves the accolade with his fourth place in the men ’ s 100m Olympic final – it is , after all , the best finish by a South African in the Olympic 100m since SA ’ s readmission to the Olympics in 1992 – but I just feel that the young relay quartet did something really special in Nairobi , Kenya in August , when they set a new age group World Record during the World Under-20 Champs
Akani ’ s success on the world stage continues to inspire the next generation of SA athletes , in particular the sprinters , and look what the result is : A World Record for the youngsters in the relay – and the significance of this record cannot be underestimated . Not yet 20 and these four youngsters have already become icons in South African athletics , and they will , in turn , show the youngsters just behind them that athletics is a place where dreams can be fulfilled .
This breakthrough , for me , is of such importance to the sport , and therefore I feel they are the outstanding performers of 2021 on the South African front . I also believe that these four athletes will make big waves in 2022 as it is an incredibly busy year , what with the World Championships in Eugene , USA from 15 to 24 July , the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham , UK from 28 July to 8 August , and the World U20 Championships in Cali , Columbia from 2 to 7 August .
Global Female Athlete of the Year Sifan Hassan
the gold medal in the 5000m and the bronze in the 1500m , and she was chasing an unprecedented third medal . ( She originally went to Tokyo aiming for three gold medals ). Hassan was understandably tired , and yet she showed how good of a championship runner she is by taking her second gold as she won in 29:55.32 , while Gidey ( 30:01.72 ) had to settle for third .
In my mind , Hassan ’ s Olympic exploits give her the nod as my pick for overall female Athlete of the Year . Of the 17 races she lined up for in 2021 , she won 11 . Even though Gidey has gone 90 seconds faster than any woman in the half marathon and came desperately close to breaking 29 minutes for the 10,000m , nothing compares to Hassan ’ s Olympic results … however questionable they may be in many people ’ s eyes .
Global Male Athlete of the Year Eliud Kipchoge
I know many people will feel I am biased , and maybe I am , but if I look at 2021 and the results and achievements on the international stage , I can think of only one athlete that deserves the Athlete of the Year award : Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya . I know he didn ’ t run the fastest marathon in the world in 2021 , and he no , he didn ’ t win a World Marathon Major , but he did something far more remarkable : He defended his Olympic Marathon title . And he did it with imperious running , thus becoming the undisputed king of the marathon .
Running well within himself for the first 30km of the Olympic Marathon , at what was for him a rather pedestrian pace , Kipchoge threw in a blistering 14:28 surge from kilometres 30 to 35 , and no-one was able to go with him . It was game over right there . Sure , he was hurting and suffering – everyone was in those conditions – but his total dominance of the iconic distance over the last decade gave him more than an edge .
In winning the title in Tokyo , Kipchoge became only the third athlete ever to defend the men ’ s marathon title . The first two were Kenya ’ s Abebe Bikila ( 1960 and 1964 ) and East German Waldemar Cierpinski ( 1976 and 1980 ). There were questions around his waning dominance after he finished eighth in the London Marathon in 2020 , but he was suffering from an ear infection at the time , and he put any rumours of his reign ending as he defended his Olympic title .
After the Olympics , Kipchoge was invited to speak at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow . His athletic fame and his demeanour and ability as a spokesperson is what saw him receive this invitation , showing that Kipchoge has transcended the realms of athletics , and moved into the realms of a global icon .
Images : Chris Hitchcock / Cape Town Marathon & courtesy World Athletics , Tokyo Olympics
Sifan Hassan comes home to claim one of her three medals at the Tokyo Olympics
The women certainly came to the party on the global stage , with nine World Records and constantly pushing the envelope . These records were most prominent on the roads , with the women ’ s 5km WR broken in both the mixed and women-only races . Ironically , the women-only record of 14:29 , posted by Ethiopia ’ s Sanbere Teferi in Herzogenaurach , Germany in September , is actually faster than the 14:43 clocked by Beatrice Chepkoech in the mixed race in Monaco in February
On the track , Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan ran 29:06.82 for 10,000m in Hengelo , Sweden in June , with the stated intention of running so fast that no-one would come near her record in the foreseeable future . However , Ethiopian 5000m World Record holder Letesenbet Gidey had other ideas , and just two days later came desperately close to becoming the first women to break 29 minutes as she clocked 29:01.03 .
The Ethiopian would fly to another eye-opening win in Valencia , Spain later in the year , clocking an astounding 1:02:52 for the half marathon , a whole minute faster than the 1:03:51 run by second-placed countrywoman Yalemzerf Yehualuh . Ironically , it was Yehualuh who had become the first women to break 64 minutes when she ran 1:03:44 in Antrim , Ireland in August . ( Due to technical rules of the sport , Gidey ’ s time is not recognised as a new World Record .)
So when Gidey and Hassan met in the Olympics in the 10,000m final , the prospect of the current World Record holder ( Gidey ) taking on the previous World Record holder ( Hassan ), from whom she took the record just two days after Hassan had apparently sent the record “ into orbit ,” the fans of middle distance running were glued to their screens . Hassan had by then run four races in seven days and won
Eliud Kipchoge breaks the tape to win the Tokyo Olympic Marathon
About the Author
Manfred Seidler is a freelance sport journalist who has been in the industry since 1994 , in both print media and broadcasting , covering four Olympic Games for SABC Radio , and producing various athletics shows for the SABC . Follow him on Twitter : @ sportmansa ; Facebook : Sport Man SA ; Instagram : sportman _ sa .
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