Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 56, March 2014 | Page 13

Feature

One Lap
Sprinter Justine Palframan holds
two SA records for the 400m and has
been representing South Africa on the
world stage since 2009, including the
World Champs in Moscow last year, so
keep an eye out for her this year at the
Commonwealth Games. – BY SEAN FALCONER

T

hey say the 400m sprint is one of the toughest
events on the track. For the first 300m it is all about
speed, but in the last 100m the body starts shutting down
and the winner will be the athlete who can hold on the
longest before collapsing. According to Justine Palframan,
this is so true. “You can hit the wall and it feels like you’re
walking, just hoping to get to the end. It’s surprising that
400m athletes don’t just lie around on the track when they
finish – we still have to try walk off and go die somewhere
else!” she laughs.
One thing that is certainly not dying is Justine’s budding
athletic career. Now studying B.Sc. Sports Science in
Stellenbosch, the 20-year-old sprinter from Eshowe in
KwaZulu-Natal has steadily been establishing herself on
the international stage. She was selected for the 2009
World Youth Champs in Italy, finishing fourth in the 400m
and ninth in the 200m, and brought home a silver in the
400m from the African Junior Champs. The following year
she went to the World Junior Champs in Canada, even
though still a youth athlete, and made the semi-finals of
the 200m. Then in 2012 she was back at the World Juniors
and finished fifth in the 400m, breaking the SA Junior
record to go with her SA Youth record set in Swaziland.

hotel smelt of sewerage, the bed springs were sticking
out and the hotel food was not great. We ate the same
plain pasta and meat every day – until the last day,
when suddenly they brought out pizza and wraps!”
In contrast, Justine really enjoyed competing in
Moscow, even though she only appeared in the first
round of heats. “I was really nervous at first, but as I
stepped onto the track, I decided I’m here now, so I
may as well enjoy myself and just try to do my best.
I did my warm-up right next to multiple Olympic and
World Champion Allyson Felix of the USA, and I found
that the top girls are not that much taller than me. On
TV they look huge! And when I looked at the times, I
realised it is possible for me to get into the later rounds
at that level, now that I have more experience. It’s not
just a mad dream.”

SPEEDY FAMILY
Justine’s speed on the track is very much a family trait.
Dad Stephen was a 400m and 800m athlete in his
younger days, while Mom Trevlyn was also a sprinter –
and they actually met on the track. Older sister Catlyn
does the 100m and 200m sprint combination, while
younger brother David is specialising in the 400m.
Stephen is an accountant by trade, but doubled up
as Justine’s coach for most of her high school years,
with occasional help from then Durban-based coach
Mohamed Allie, who subsequently moved to the Cape
to head up the Maties Athletics Club at Stellenbosch
University. Hence Justine decided to go study at Maties
in 2013, so that she could be coached by him. And now
that long-time boyfriend Cameron has returned from
a Rotary Exchange year in France and moved down
to Stellenbosch to study as well, she has even more
support at hand.

Looking ahead, Justine has her plans for 2014 laid out
already. “I’ve got the African Senior Champs coming
up, then the Commonwealth Games, and in between
I’ll also go run a few meets in Europe. Then next year
it will be the World Champs again.” This means she has
to juggle her studies a bit, but she says her lecturers
are very understanding and helpful. “I managed okay
last year, despite all the training and travelling, and
only failed one subject, so I just have to work hard
and maybe get some extra lessons this year. The
lecturers don’t mind moving a test date or giving extra
lessons here and there, which means I can focus on
my athletics.”
All smiles
after