2023 PREVIEW |
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In Cross Country |
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It ’ s ‘ Down Under ’ we go as the 2023 World Cross Country Championships take place in Bathurst , Australia on 18 February . This will be only the second time that the Oceania region has hosted these Championships since Auckland in 1988 . Following SA Cross Country Trials , ASA has announced a provisional team for Bathurst , and it ’ s exciting to see some of the ‘ next generation ’ making the team . |
While stalwarts Precious Mashele and Elroy Gelant will form the backbone of the men ’ s team , they will be joined by the fiery Maxime Chaumeton , who ran so well in 2022 , and Soweto Marathon 10km winner , Mathews Leeto , who finished fourth at the Trials has found a new gear in his running . Also included is US-based Adriaan Wildschutt , who ran the fastest 10,000m by a South African in 2022 ( 27:38.54 ) and finished fifth in the 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games ( 27:41:04 ). The team is
Adriaan Wildschutt
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On the Track South Africa ’ s track and field season starts officially at the end of March , with the ASA U16 / U18 and U20 Championships from 23-25 March . Athletes to look out for will be the incredible Viwe Jingqi , who clocked 11.22 for the 100m and 23.03 for the 200m at the 2022 SA U18 Championships . She will be competing in the U20 category this year , and although still only 17 in 2022 , she finished sixth in the World U20 Champs 100m final , with a time of 11.23 . Another to look out for is Bradley Nkoana , who gave the Senior athletes on the local circuit a fright in the sprints , as did Benjamin Richardson . These Championships will be used to select the team for the Africa U18 / U20 Championships in Zambia ( 19-23 April ).
From 30 March to 1 April , it will be the
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rounded out by Mbuleli Mathanga , who had a DNF at the Trials , but should not have any problems getting into the team .
In the women ’ s team , Cian Oldknow secured her spot with a well-judged race to run away from the rest of the field at the Trials , and the ever-consistent Kesa Molotsane joins her in the team . The new kids on the block here are sisters Kyla Jacobs and Aynslee van Graan , with the latter ( like Wildschutt ) included in spite of not being able to attend the SA Trials . Van Graan is based in Australia , but she has actually raced – and done well – on the very course that the Championships will be held on . The other two women in the team will need to prove their fitness ahead of the Champs : Glenrose Xaba didn ’ t run the Trials , and Cacisile Sosibo also failed to finish , even though she led for a long period of time .
For the first time there will be a relay event at the World Champs , and it is a mixed gender race consisting of two women and two men , each running 2km . South Africa will have an interesting team : Prudence Sekgodiso , who had a huge breakthrough year in 2022 , and Caster Semenya are the two women , while another aggressive front runner , Ryan Mphahlele , and 800m star Tshepo Tshite , who literally stole the Trials 2km race on the line from Mphahlele , make up the men ’ s pairing . This is a new format , and South Africa could potentially do well here .
Challenging Conditions
It is going to be tough racing , as the likes of Joshua Cheptegei , Jacob Kiplimo , Stella Chesang and Mercyline Chelangat are likely to be in the Ugandan team , while Kenya have Daniel Simiyu Ebenyo , Geoffrey Kamworor ( a two-time World Champion ) and Kibiwot Kandie on the men ’ s side , and
turn of the SA Senior Championships in Potchefstroom , and it will be interesting to see just how the men ’ s sprints shape up . Akani Simbine will be looking to defend his 100m crown , but his big focus will be the qualifying time of 10 seconds for the World Championships . However , he will face a stiff challenge from several other sprinters , including Nkoane , who made waves by finishing second in the men ’ s 100m at the 2022 SA Senior Champs , even though he had just turned 18 .
Luxolo Adams will be another serious contender in both the 100m and 200m , especially after his 19.82 in 2022 , while Gift Leotlela and Clarence Munyai will be lurking .
Another who is looking for an early qualifier is Maxime Chaumeton , who is aiming to get to Budapest in either the 1500m or 5000m . Or both . Chaumeton ran 27:58 for 10km in
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Kyla Jacobs , Kesa Molotsane and Cian Oldknow |
Beatrice Chebet and Agnes Jebet amongst other in the women ’ s race . Do not be surprised if you see Letesenbet Gidey and Berihu Arigawi in the Ethiopian team . It ’ s very likely that the three African Countries will once again be utterly dominant .
Conditions are likely to be brutal , as Australia in February can be a furnace , and the course is rumoured to be a tough one , with some vicious climbs . All races will happen on the same day , with the Relay kicking things off at 3:30pm , followed by the U20 Women , U20 Men and Senior Women , and the Senior Men rounding off the day . Another new element is that there will be a mass run for the public in the morning .
Viwe Jingqi
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Images : Reg Caldecott , Anthony Grote & courtesy Adriaan Wildschutt , Murray & Roberts Running Club , Under Armour |