TRACK & FIELD
Marlie ’ s hard work in 2023 really paid off in China !
Breakthrough
GOLD
One of the highlights for South Africa at the recent FISU World Student Games in China was Marlie Viljoen winning the gold medal in the women ’ s 400m , and etching her name into the rich history of South African athletics glory . – BY WILHELM DE SWARDT with SEAN FALCONER
In the last few years , 23-year-old University of Pretoria sprinter Marlie Viljoen has been getting steadily faster over the 400-metre distance . In 2018 she took her personal best down to 54.07 . then clocked 53.69 in 2020 . The following year she lowered her PB to 53.33 , and this year she has taken it down to 51.81 . However , she had managed to still fly under the radar somewhat … until the first week of August , when she won the gold medal at the World Student Games in Chengdu , China .
She clocked 53:53 seconds to win her qualifying heat , then posted the fastest time of the semi-final round , winning her heat in 52.98 . Running in lane 6 in the final , the first 200m saw her in a tight duel with Corrssia Perry of the United States , and it looked like the American was gaining the upper hand , but with 150m to go , Marlie started to “ push the big gears ,” as she puts it . Stride for stride , she began to open a gap , taking the win and global bragging rights in 52.38 , with Perry second ( 52.62 ) and Barbora Malikova ( Czech Republic ) third in 52.66 . Another South African , Angelique Strydom , was eighth in the final in 53.78 .
Marlie credits her victory in Chengdu to keeping calm , running her own race , and not getting distracted by what her opponents did . “ I warned my coach and parents before the race not to get stressed out about how the race would play out . I told them that someone would come hard at me over the last 200 metres , but that it would not faze me , I had my race planned . With 80 metres to go , I knew I would win , but I was filled with a sense of relief knowing that a year ’ s hard work had paid dividends . It is hard to describe my emotions as I crossed the finish line , because it was the first time I medalled at a major international championship .”
Hard Work Pays Off
Marlie ’ s gold was one of the two won by Team South Africa at these Games , with both coming on the track – the other gold was won by Tsebo Matsoso in the men ’ s 200m – and it was the cherry on top to crown a brilliant season for the Tuks athlete . She won 10 of the 21 one-lap races she competed in , and finished second on five occasions , and third three times . Only in three of her races this season did she not podium .
In terms of medals , she finished third at the Gauteng North Championships , second at the South African Championships ,
and second again at the SA Student Champs , followed by the World Student Games gold . She narrowly missed out on another medal when the SA 4x400m women ’ s team finished fourth in their final in China , clocking 3:35.47 behind thirdplaced Switzerland ’ s 3:34.57 . Marlie then also got her first taste of senior global competition when she went straight from China to the World Champs in Budapest , Hungary , but fatigue perhaps caught up to her as she went out in the first round .
According to Marlie , her success this season all boils down to long , hard hours on the track and in the gym , and the encouragement of her coach , Ilze Wicksell , who was the first South African female athlete to dip under two minutes in the 800 metres when she clocked 1:59.39 in March 1983 . “ Over the last year , Tannie Ilze had me work to increase my speed and endurance , and the hard work started to pay dividends from April onwards . What helped was that at the start of the season , she challenged me to beat her best 400m time of 52.68 . If I didn ’ t , she threatened to have me start training to race the 800 metres ... and I am not a big fan of two-lap races !”
SA at the 2023 World Student Games
More than 9500 athletes participated in 18 sporting codes , with 269 medals on offer , at the 2023 FISU World University Summer Games in Chengdu , in the People ’ s Republic of China . Team South Africa returned from the Games with a total of 20 medals ( 2 gold , 11 silver 7 bronze ), having finished 19th on the final medal table . Of these medals , 10 came from in athletics , including both golds , with swimming ( 7 ), rowing ( 2 ) and archery ( 1 ) providing the rest of the country ’ s medals . The athletics medals were :
Gold ( 2 )
Tsebo Matsoso - Men ’ s 200m Marlie Viljoen – Women ’ s 400m
Silver ( 2 )
Shaun Maswanganyi - Men ’ s 100m Yolandi Stander - Women ’ s Discus
Bronze ( 6 )
Banele Shabangu – Women ’ s 200m Charne Swart – Women ’ s 800m Jana van Schalkwyk – Women ’ s Javelin Men ’ s 4x100m Relay ( Thembo Monareng , Tsebo Matsoso , Eckhart Potgieter , Shaun Maswanganyi ) Women ’ s 4x100m Relay ( Antoinette van der Merwe , Banele Shabangu , Joviale Mbisha , Tamzin Thomas ) Men ’ s 4x400m Relay ( Nhlanhla Maseko , Tjaart van der Walt , Wernich van Rensburg , Lindukuhle Gora )
Images : Reg Caldecott
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ISSUE 162 | www The . basis modernathlete of this article . co . za was supplied by the Department of Sport ( TuksSport ) at the University of Pretoria . To find out more about their sporting clubs and facilities , go to www . up . ac . za / tukssport .