Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 169 June 2024 | Page 52

TRACK & FIELD

Shif ting Gears

With the African Champs and the Paris Olympics coming up in the next two months , many of South Africa ’ s track and field athletes are gearing up to compete on the world stage – or chasing late qualifiers – Including this quartet of track stars from the University of Pretoria ( Tuks ). – BY WILHELM DE SWARDT with SEAN FALCONER

A Fraction From Paris

To be 0.22 seconds faster over 800 metres in the next month is the challenge that awaits Edmund du Plessis . If the Tuks medical student succeeds , he will compete at the Paris Olympic Games , and judging by his performances this year , there is a realistic chance he will do so , as he is having a brilliant season .

Du Plessis is already more than two seconds faster this season than last year . At the end of 2023 , his best time was 1:47.10 . This season , during the South African Championships in Pietermaritzburg , he won the 800 metres with a time of 1:44.92 . It is the second consecutive time that he has won the SA title , and his time is one of the fastest in the last 10 years by a South African athlete . Since 2015 , only Tshepo Tshite ( 1:44.59 ) has gone quicker .
Another highlight this season has been a first international win in Germany , in late May . “ To win for the first time in Europe is special . The weather conditions were far from ideal – it rained , and the temperature was 12 degrees Celcius when we raced – and that contributed to us running slowly over the first
400 metres . I decided to make my move at 350 metres , as nobody else seemed interested in racing . My only plan was to race as hard as possible for as long as possible , and it worked .”
According to Edmund , the big turnabout in his athletics career came about in March , during a league meeting at Pilditch , when he clocked 1:45.49 for a ( then ) massive new personal best . “ It was the confidence booster I needed , and then I proved to myself during the South African Championships that it was no fluke , by running 1:45.58 in the heats and 1:44.92 in the final . If you can run 1:45 or faster internationally , you will always be one of the better athletes in the race .”
Depending on his studies , Edmund hopes to compete a few times in Europe before the end of June , which is the cut-off to qualify for Paris , and he will also race at the African Champs in Cameroon in mid-June . And he believes that he is capable of qualifying for the Olympics : “ There is a good race in my legs waiting to happen , and I am saying this because I was not fully rested when racing in the final during the National Championships , and I still had a good race .”
Edmund Du Plessis

A family Hurdling Tradition

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SW Nel and his father Wimpie
ISSUE 169 | www . modernathlete . co . za

It was a case of like father , like son when SW Nel won the men ’ s 110m hurdles during the South African Championships in Pietermaritzburg in April , because the young Tuks athlete is not the first Nel to be speedy over the high hurdles . His dad , Wimpie , also competed in the event in the 1990s , being crowned South African Champion in 1992 and 1993 , and also bringing home two bronze medals from the African Championships in those same years . The elder Nel , who posted a best time of 13.86 seconds , is now coaching his son .

SW is excited about emulating his dad ’ s heroics , but according to him , he can ’ t claim it is mission accomplished . “ My dad has two national titles to his name , while I have only got one , so there is still a lot of hard work that awaits me over the next few years . But for now , it is special to have done what my dad has done .” ( He also won a bronze medal at the SA Champs in 2023 .)
The younger Nel claimed his national title with a time of 13.73 , which was a 0.11-second improvement on his previous best time , and the Tuks athlete believes he can run even faster . “ My performance in that final was
far from perfect . I ‘ hit ’ the first two hurdles , which nearly led to me taking a tumble , and that definitely slowed me down by a few hundredths of a second . The one thing I need to work on is to be stronger , and if I do , I know I will be faster .”
The father and son duo have an interesting way of doing things , as SW explains . “ Before a race , my dad will go out of his way to get me angry , because the angrier I am when racing , the better I do . But during training , it is a different story . Then , my dad is at pains to ensure I understand what he expects me to do . He reasons that racing will be easier if you can execute your technique flawlessly during training .”
Like most young athletes , SW dreams of competing at the Olympic Games , but he says he may need to wait a bit longer for that . “ Honestly , it will take a miracle for me to compete in Paris this July . The qualifying standard is 13.27 , and I would be happy if I can get close to running 13.40 this season . If I do that , I might qualify for the Olympics on the World Athletics ranking system , but for now , I am happy to compete at the African Championships in Cameroon in June .”
Images : Reg Caldecott , Karien Jonkheere