Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 54, January 2014 | Page 12

Feature

Robert and Sias, who both play Super 15 rugby for
Annerie Ebersohn claimed her first
the Cheetahs. “There are tough days where I feel
senior national title on the track this past
like giving up, but then I just pick up the phone
year, then made it to the World Champs in and call one of my brothers, and they give me the
Russia, but the unassuming Tuks hurdling best advice! They always tell me, we are not the
type of people that quit!” says Annerie.
star first had to overcome a feeling of guilt
at her own success. – BY NICOLE DE VILLIERS TRAINING DAYS

I

t isn’t often that an athlete finishes first in an SA
Champs event to claim a first national title, and then
feels guilty for winning, but that is what happened to
400m hurdles champ Annerie Ebersohn at the 2013 SA
Track and Field Champs in Stellenbosch last April. She
was drawn in a lane outside of her friend, clubmate and
training partner, Wenda Nel, the defending champion, and
expected her big rival to come up on her inside during the
final, but was surprised to see no sign of Wenda at the
finish line.
“It was a bittersweet race for me, because once I crossed
the finish line I realised Wenda had fallen. Yes, I was
happy I had won, but at the same time I had taken the
title from my great friend. Also, the question in my mind
was, would I have won if she didn’t fall?” says Annerie.
“Later that night Wenda sent me a long message saying
that I must never feel bad for doing well, even if it meant
beating her. Since then we keep the jokes flowing about
who is going to beat who! We have reached a similar level
now, and despite Wenda being my biggest rival, she is
also one of my biggest supporters, alongside my family
and training group.”
When the going gets tough, Annerie also turns to her
family for moral support, specifically her two brothers,
Flying the Tuks flag at
Varsity Cup with
LJ van Zyl.

Annerie only started athletics in grade one because
it was something to pass the time with, but by the
time she was 10 years old, she was competing at
SA Championships at primary school and youth
levels. “It took me a good five years to win at the
age of 15 for the first time, though,” she says. In
those years she was based in Bloemfontein and
coached by DB Prinsloo, but after school the
opportunity arose to go to Tukkies to further
her athletics career and study law. However,
it didn’t quite go to plan, at first…
“I never realised how tough it would
be, and in my first year in Pretoria, my
athletics went backwards. I asked
my new coach, Hennie Kotzer, why
the training programme was not
working for me, and he told
me he had a lot of faith in his
programme and that I must just
keep going. It honestly felt as if
I was in a ‘hell camp.’ Also, I had
no friends or family there at first,
which made it more tough, and I
am very grateful to the friends I
made, as they were a great help
with my studies. Juggling athletics
and a law degree is no joke!”
By the time Annerie reached her
second year at varsity, Hennie’s
sometimes offbeat methods began
to prove successful, and her athletics
began to flourish. “My coach is a little
bit crazy!” laughs Annerie. “Some
days, when the weather is bad, he
will still make us train, whether
it be stair-work or running in
the rain. We usually rest on
Sundays, but if the coach
says we’re training, then
we don’t rest. One specific
time we trained for 21 days in a
row!”

HITTING THE BIG TIME
Images: Courtesy Annerie Ebersohn

But it worked, and in the same season that
she claimed the national title, Annerie was also
selected for the SA World Champs squad that went
to Moscow in August, where she says she saw a
different side to the sport. “Most of those athletes
run for a living, it is their profession. Athletes in
South Africa need to have a back-up plan, as most
of us won’t be able to afford to ‘just’ run. This
is unfortunate for me, as I would love to keep
running until I can no longer run anymore,” says
Annerie. Nevertheless, her future goals include
competing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in

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ISSUE 54 JANUARY 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

Scotland, and she has high hopes that ASA
and SASCOC will sort out their differences to
make this possible. She is also aiming to get a
medal at the World Student Champs in Korea
in 2015. “Then of course I would love to go to
the Olympics in 2016!”

ANNERIE’S PB’S
200m
400m
400m Hurdles

24:24
53:25
55:87

Annerie with Wenda Nel Clubmate, rival, friend.