STATS & FACTS
by RIËL HAUMAN
Stats & Facts
Records Tumble on SA Soil
The last month of racing in SA has delivered a number of records , PBs and other notable achievements .
IN THE NEWS
Here ’ s a round-up of SA running news highlights from the past month or so .
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Select Women ’ s Sub-2 Club Grows Kip Keino Classic , World Athletics Continental Tour – Gold , Nairobi , Kenya , 7 May
Double SA Champion over 800m and 1500m , Prudence Sekgodiso , became only the fifth South African to dip under two minutes for 800m with her stunning victory over a strong field in 1:58.41 . This is almost exactly three seconds faster than her previous best , and she did it at high altitude in Nairobi . The other four South Africans to have broken two minutes are Ilze de Kock , Eranee van Zyl , Zelda Pretorius and Cater Semenya . In the men ' s 800m , SA Champion Tshepo Tshite finished third in a season ' s best 1:45.51 .
Prudence Sekgodiso
Disqualification Drama in Durban Durban International Marathon & 10km , incorporating SA Marathon Championships , Durban , 8 May
After a hard-fought race , Zimbabwean Isaac Mpofu crossed the finish line first in a personal best 2:10:24 , followed by South Africa ' s Tumelo Motlagale in 2:11:15 ( also a new PB ). However , the Zimbabwean was then disqualified for wearing only one licence number , and Motlagale , who had won the national title by being first South African over the line and had also posted a World Athletics Championships qualifying time , was thus awarded the overall win . A former top steeplechaser – his best of 8:24.76 , run in 2012 , is still sixth on the SA all-time list – Motlagale achieved the biggest win of his career in the same city where his father and coach , Adam , won the SA Half Marathon title in 1993 . The older Motlagale , who also won the SA 15km title in 1990 , represented South Africa at the
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Tumelo Motlagale
World Half Marathon Champs three times . His son , whose previous best was the 2:12:40 he clocked in the Langa Marathon in May last year , said , “ My father must be jumping up and down now !”
Fastest Women ’ s Time Broken Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10km , 15 May
Uganda ’ s 2018 Commonwealth Champion over 10,000m , Stella Chesang , took line honours in the women ’ s race in a blistering 30:40 , easily beating the fastest 10km time ever on the continent of Africa , Sheila Chepkirui ' s 30:55 in the Durban RUN YOUR CITY ( RYC ) event in 2019 . Chesang was second in the Cape Town RYC race in both 2018 and 2019 ( when it was still run over 12km ) and set a national record of 31:14 in winning the Durban RYC 10km in 2018 . ( The Cape Town course is point-to-point and therefore not record-legal ). Defending champion Jesca Chelangat ( Kenya ) was second in 30:48 , also under the previous mark .
Stella Chesang
SA Stars Shine in California Carlsbad 5000 , Carlsbad , California , USA , 22 May
Two South African women , and a third with a South African background , excelled in the Carlsbad 5000 road race . Continuing her current hot streak , Dominique Scott-Efurd , the SA track champion over 5,000m , finished second in 15:48 behind Ethiopian Biruktayit Degefa . Scott-Efurd ' s time is the equal-11th fastest ever by a South African ( she has a PB of 15:36 on the road ). Carina Viljoen clocked a new PB of 16:00 in third , for 13th on the all-time list ( only Elana Meyer , Colleen de Reuck , Scott-Efurd and Gerda Steyn have run faster ). In ninth was Ashley Maton ( 17:14 ), the granddaughter of former SA Cross Country Champion Deon Dekkers ( who also won the Masters Division of the 1986 5th Avenue Mile ). Maton was born in the USA as the daughter of Michelle Dekkers , who won the NCAA Cross Country title in 1988 .
Dominique Scott-Efurd
Johannes Blitzes SPAR Return Spar Grand Prix 10km Series # 1 , Gqeberha , 28 May
Namibian Helalia Johannes did not compete in the Spar Grand Prix Series last year due to injury and international commitments – she was 11th in the Olympic Marathon – but she came back with a vengeance to win the first race of the 2022 series . Her 31:53 finish not only comfortably beat 2021 series winner Tadu Nare of Ethiopia ( 32:11 ), but is also one of the fastest 10km times ever run by a veteran . This was initially reported as a new World Record for the 40-49 age category , but Lisa Weightman of Australia actually holds that record at 31:20 . ( However , Johannes did set a new World Record the
Images : Mark Sampson , Rogan Ward & courtesy Under Armour , Tumelo Motlagale , Dominique Scott-Efurd , ASA
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