Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 58, May 2014 | Page 38

Race Report

Barrier Broken

SA Track & Field Championships, Pretoria, Gauteng North, 12-13 April
The undisputed highlight of the 2014
SA Track and Field Champs was Simon
Magakwe running 9.98 seconds in
the men’s 100m to become the first
SA athlete to break the 10-second
barrier… but there were plenty other
performances to write home about.
– BY DONALD MATHIPA

ith stadium announcer Altus Schreuder going
crazy on the mic and the whole stadium on its feet,
cheering, Simon Magakwe looked over at the clock
next to the finish line and confirmed that he had really
done it. Having equalled the long-standing SA record of
10.06 in 2012 – held since 1988 by Johan Rossouw –
Simon had long been expected to break the SA record,
but that elusive sub-10-second time was another story.
So when he ran 10.07 in the qualifying heat, he knew
his chances of a record sixth consecutive national title
in the blue riband sprint event was on the cards, but
even he was surprised when he saw his time in the
final was 9.98. Also breaking the old mark was TUKS
youngster Akani Simbine, who crossed the line in 10.02
for second place.

Images: Van Zyl Naude

W

Another highlight of the meet saw Wayde van Niekerk
become only the sixth SA man to run a sub-45:00
in the 400m, claiming the title in 44.92 ahead of
Olympian Shaun de Jager (45.82). Meanwhile,
Rikenette Steenkamp successfully defended her 100m
hurdles title in 13:17 – the sixth-best time by an SA
woman – while Wenda Nel clocked 54.92 to win the

ALL THE WINNERS
MEN
women’s 400m hurdles and become only the third SA
women to break the 55-second barrier, and Justine
Palframan did the double in the 200m and 400m
sprints, clocking 23.11 and 52.48 respectively.

FIELD FIREWORKS
On the field, hammer throw legend Chris Harmse
(40) won his 19th straight national title when he threw
70.56m, with Tshepang Makhete taking second with
a distance of 65.60m. Makhete, just 18-years-old,
wasn’t even born when Chris won his first SA title, but
the hammer throw king has welcomed the new blood
to the sport. The world record for most consecutive
national titles in any event is 21, so Chris has a good
chance of equalling or bettering that record.
In the men’s javelin, Robert Oosthuizen won his
seventh consecutive national title with a throw of
86.60m, while Sunette Viljoen clinched her ninth
women’s javelin national title with a distance of
64.77m. With six throws over 60m on the day,
Sunette looks set to take great form into the rest of
her season. Meanwhile, long jump ace Zarck Visser
claimed the national title for the third consecutive year
with a massive 8.31m jump on his first attempt.

100m: Simon Magakwe (ANWN) 9.98
200m: Ncincilili Titi (AGN) 20.41
400m: Wade van Niekerk (AFS) 44.92
800m: Andre Olivier (ACNW) 1:47:65
1500m: Jerry Motsau (ACNW) 3:47:91
5000m: Gladwin Mzazi (AGN) 14:05:49
10 000m: Vuyisile Tshoba (AGN) 29:40.33
110m Hurdles: Ruan De Vries (AGN) 13.62
400m Hurdles: Cornel Fredericks (AGN) 49.21
3000m Steeplechase: Rantso Mokopane (ACNW) 8:48.36
Decathlon: Willem Coertzen (ACNW) 8199pts
20km walk: Lebogang Shange (CGA) 1:26:17
Long Jump: Zarck Visser (CGA) 8.31m
Triple Jump: Kgottso Mokoena (CGA) 16.68m
High Jump: Mpho Links (AGN) 2.10m
Pole Vault: Cheyne Rahme (CGA) 5.40m
Shot Put: Orazia Cremona (AGN) 20.29m
Discus: Victor Hogan (BOLA) 63.45m
Javelin: Robert Oosthuizen (BOLA) 78.80
Hammer: Ch