STATS & FACTS
by RIËL HAUMAN
Stats & Facts
Medals , Records & More
Here ’ s a round-up of SA running news highlights from the past month or so .
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Back in the Medals Again Commonwealth Games , Birmingham , UK , 28 July – 8 August
After not being able to win any medals at the World Athletics Champs in the USA earlier in August , Team South Africa recorded a marked improvement by earning five medals in the athletics at the Commonwealth Games in the UK , contributing to the country ’ s haul of 27 medals ( 7 gold , 9 silver and 11 bronze ). Akani Simbine took the silver medal in the men ’ s 100m , while Zenéy van der Walt ( women ’ s 400m hurdles ) and Jovan van Vuuren ( men ’ s long jump ) added bronze medals . Amongst the para-athletes , Ndodomzi Ntutu brought home a gold medal in the men ’ s 100m T12 , while Charl du Toit added a silver medal in the men ’ s 100m T38 . The best South Africans in the distance events were Adriaan Wildschutt , who was fifth in the men ’ s 10,000m in 27:41.04 , and Dominique Scott-Efurd , who also took fifth in the women ’ s 5000m in a season best 15:07.50 as well as seventh in the 10,000m in 31:25.18 .
Adriaan Wildschutt
Juniors Do Well in Cali World Junior ( U20 ) Championships , Cali , Columbia , 1-6 August
With a healthy haul of five medals at the World Junior Athletics Championships , including two golds , the emerging generation of South African athletes showed
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that they can hold their own on the world stage . In the men ’ s 400m , Lythe Pillay took line honours in a PB 45.28 , while Miné de Klerk also claimed a gold medal in the women ’ s shot put , with a winning heave of 17.17m . She added a bronze medal in the discus throw with a new SA Under-20 Record of 53.54m . Brian Raats finished joint second in the men ’ s high jump , clearing 2.10m , and Benjamin Richardson earned a bronze medal in the men ’ s 100m final , clocking 10.12 seconds .
Lythe Pillay
Nare Again in SPAR Tshwane Spar Grand Prix Series 10km , Tshwane , 6 August
Ethiopia ’ s Tadu Nare scored her third consecutive win in the Spar Grand Prix Series with a comfortable margin of 24 seconds over her junior countrywoman Selam Gebre , 32:44 to 33:08 . Nare only lost the first race in the series , in Gqeberha , when she was beaten
Tadu Nare by Namibia ’ s Helalia Johannes . Gebre moved up one position from the third spot she had filled in all three of the previous races . Johannes , who won the bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games Marathon the previous weekend , had trouble with her flight bookings and could not make it to South Africa in time for this race . Irvette van Zyl was the first South African in third ( 34:14 ), with Glenrose Xaba next home in 34:28 .
Old and New Champs Crowned South African 10km Championships , Tshwane , 13 August
One of the two runners who stood on the top level of the podium at the weekend ’ s SA 10 km Championships in Pretoria has been there many times , but the other one did so for the first time in senior competition . In the women ’ s race , which was run separately from the men ’ s , Glenrose Xaba won her 15th national title ( on all surfaces ) by 29 seconds in 33:33 , comfortably beating Kesa Molotsane to regain the title she won in 2019 . Her win came just four days after she also clinched the Totalsports Women ’ s Race in Johannesburg . Third was Lebo Phalula in 34:09 .
Glenroase Xaba
Images : Reg Caldecott , Tobias Ginsberg & courtesy Adriaan Wildschutt , Andries Sesedi , Renier Grobler , World Athletics
8 ISSUE 153 | www . modernathlete . co . za