TRACK & FIELD
Zeney van der Walt
Van der Walt qualifies for Worlds
Another female hurdler coming into fine form as the SA season picks up pace is former World Youth and Junior Champion , Zeney van der Walt .
Surprised . That is how Zeney van der Walt described her feelings after she won the 400m hurdles in 55.36 seconds at the Gauteng North Championships in early March . It is the second-fastest time of her career , and even if just temporarily , she was the fastest female 400m-hurdler in the world , but more importantly , it means that she has qualified for the World Championships in Oregon , USA in July .
“ I am shocked , as I did not expect to be this fast so early in the season . The time I ran is close to what
I did when I won the under-20 World Title in 2018 ,” says Zeney .
She adds that the most critical thing she focused on from last year was making sure she correctly executed the small things in her technique . To her , it is also about controlling the controllable when racing . Running her own race . When complimented on her strong finish , Van der Walt said it had been a while since she felt so strong . “ When I got to the ninth hurdle , I felt in total control , and that is a nice feeling .”
Bieldt Sparks Rivalry in SA Hurdling
Real rivalries in South African female athletics are a rarity at the moment , with one athlete dominating most events for a few years now , but things are changing , especially in women ’ s hurdling , with 23-year-old Taylon Bieldt instrumental in this new development .
Images : Reg Caldecott
In recent weeks , Zeney van der Walt posted what was at the time the second-fastest 400m hurdles time in the world , 55.36 seconds , and Taylon Bieldt clocked the then fourth-fastest time , 55.91s . In the shorter 100m hurldes , Marione Fourie has run a 13.10 – at the time the seventh-fastest time in the world , while Taylon posted a 13.15 to give her the ninthfastest world time .
Interestingly , Taylon seems to be the one who is instrumental in reviving rivalries , as she has set new personal bests in both hurdling events in the last few weeks , and helped push Zeney to the second-fastest time of her career , and Marione to a new personal best .
In South African athletics , very few women have excelled in both the 100m and 400m hurdles events . In the mid-1980s , Ina van Rensburg clocked 13.09 and 55.81 respectively , and between 2001 and 2003 , Surita Febbraio-Loots ran 13.10 and 54.05s . Taylon is therefore in stellar company thanks to her recent achievements .
Going Back to Basics
In a strange way , the COVID-virus has positively impacted Taylon ’ s athletics career . Until 2020 , she specialised in running the 100m hurdles , but then decided to switch events . Last year , she got sick just before she was meant to fly out to Europe to compete on the European circuit , and she says , “ I did not realise how badly the virus had affected my lungs until my first 400m hurdles race , and I could not keep up with the international athletes . It was my agent who suggested that I should try to run a 100m hurdles race , and to my surprise , I not only won , but I also set a personal best , running 13.33 . It must have been muscle memory kicking in .”
Since 2018 , Taylon has improved her 100m hurdles time by 0.56 seconds , and by 1.17 seconds in the 400m hurdles in the last two years . She ascribes her continuous improvement to a passion for hurdles racing . “ I love it . I don ’ t consider myself a 100m-hurdler or a 400m-hurdler . I am a hurdler . Theoretically , running the 100m hurdles will not make me a better 400m-hurdler , and vice versa , as the two are completely different races , so I guess I am lucky that my training is good enough to do both .”
Taylon just laughs when asked which she event considers her favourite . “ If you ask my mom , who coaches me , she will say it is the 100m hurdles , but I believe I have greater potential in the longer event . I am still waiting to run that perfect race , though . If I do , I know I can dip under 55 seconds – and that is a more significant achievement in international athletics than running sub-13 seconds in the 100m hurdles . Still , the ultimate would be if I can dip under 13 seconds and 55 seconds . That would be something remarkable … and that ’ s why I am excited about what is happening in South African women ’ s athletics . I think we ’ ve got a good rivalry going . Personally , I don ’ t mind who wins . All that matters is running fast times .”
Taylon Bieldt
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