Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 169 June 2024 | Page 7

Shortly before publishing this edition , news broke that SA ’ s 2024 male marathon champion , Elroy Gelant , had been added to the list of qualifiers for the Olympic Marathon in Paris in August . As reported in our previous edition , he had only just narrowly missed out on automatic qualification , and Athletics South Africa had lodged an appeal to have him included in the event . With the news that he is now

TOP 10 STATS

going to Paris , this month we include a list of the top ten SA men in the marathon thus far for 2024 . Secondary performances by the top two are also listed , and that sees Elroy ’ s two fastest times head the list .

1 2:08:56 2:09:32

2024 MARATHON : TOP 10 MEN

Elroy Gelant Gelant ( 2 )

Sevilla , 18 Feb Durban , 28 Apr

2 2:09:47 Mathews Leeto Durban , 28 Apr 3 2:09:52 Stephen Mokoka Durban , 28 Apr 4 2:11:36 Desmond Mokgobu Milan , 7 Apr 5 2:12:24 Lesetja Papo Durban , 28 Apr

6 2:12:47 2:12:58

Tumelo Motlagale Mokoka ( 2 )

Durban , 28 Apr Hong Kong , 21 Jan

Elroy Gelant

Here are a few snippets of stats and facts from the annals of world athletics history .

Emil Zatopek

11 June 1949

At the 1948 London Olympic Games , the ungainly Czech Emil Zatopek sprung a surprise on the world by winning the 10,000 metres and also taking silver in the 5000m . The next year , on this day in Ostrava ’ s Vitkovice Stadium , he set the first World Record of what was to be a barrier-breaking career , when his 29:28.2 took away the 10,000m mark of Finland ’ s Viljo Heino . Showing something of his amazing speed endurance , the last kilometre was the fastest of the race , 2:52.2 . In September , Heino reclaimed the record with 29:27.2 , but before the year was out , again in Ostrava , Zatopek went one better , clocking 29:21.2 for the second of his eventual five world marks over that distance . He famously won gold medals in the 5000m , 10,000m and marathon at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki , and when his career was over , he had set 18 World Records .

7 2:13:41 Milton Kekana Durban , 28 Apr 8 2:14:27 Malixole Kalideni London , 21 Apr 9 2:14:29 Reghen Magwai Durban , 28 Apr 10 2:15:33 Melikhaya Frans Milan , 7 Apr

6 June 1971

American Frank Shorter ’ s commanding 1972 Olympic Marathon victory in his birthplace , Munich , is said to have started the running boom in the United States . He was the third US Olympic marathon champion , but his marathon career actually had an inauspicious start when he dropped out of the 1968 US Olympic Trials race . On this day in 1971 , his second attempt at the marathon distance went much better , as he finished second to Kenny Moore in the AAU Championships in Eugene , running 2:17:44 . This gave him a spot on the Pan American Games team , and two months later he won that title in Cali , Colombia , in 2:22:40 . He also won his next five marathons , including that gold medal in Munich , and scored four consecutive wins in the

South African Road List Leaders for 2024 ( As at 3 June 2024 )

This section lists the best South African performances for 2024 in each of the officially recognised road racing distances .

INTERNATIONAL

Frank Shorter

Fukuoka Marathon . His last competitive marathon was in 1981 in Chicago , where he finished third . ( He was also an accomplished track runner , and finished fifth in the 10,000m at the Munich Olympics .)

MEN

WOMEN

KEY | A – Aided course , e . g . point-to-point , and therefore not record-legal .

About the Author

These stats and results are drawn from the weekly Distance Running Results mailer compiled by internationally acclaimed athletics statistician Riël Hauman , who has more than 50 years ’ experience as a journalist , author , publisher , commentator , pundit , administrator , event organiser , coach , team manager and runner in South African athletics , road running and cross country . He is also a former editor of the South African Athletics Annual , and author of two books , Hardloop en Lééf and Century of the Marathon 1896-1996 . To subscribe to his weekly newsletter , send him a mail at rielh @ mweb . co . za .

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