Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 97, August 2017 | Page 10

Kalmer’s
CORNER
Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador’s Blog
WHEN WE
WERE YOUNG
The future stars of South African athletics did us so proud
at the recent World U/18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya,
and following our team’s success brought back some great
memories for me, when I was still competing as a junior
two decades ago. – BY RENÉ KALMER
T
eam South Africa topped the medal table in Nairobi with 11 medals in total
– five gold, three silver and three bronze – with China finishing second and
Cuba third, followed by the hosts, Kenya, in fourth. Our young stars got the
opportunity to compete on the world stage in front of the jam-packed Kasarani
Stadium, which was filled with 60,000 spectators, and it all took me back to when
I made my first national team at the age of 15, when I was included in the SA
Junior Cross Country team for the World Cross Country Championships to be held at
Stellenbosch.
Believe it or not, travelling to Cape Town for that meet was my first time on a plane!
At first I was a bit disappointed that I did not get to travel overseas to represent
my country, but thinking back, it was definitely one of my most memorable World
Cross Country experiences. Every experience was new, and it was a real treat to
stay in the Garden Court Hotel at Greenmarket Square for a whole week. After all,
I was only used to Kalmer Camping trips!
This is also where I fell in love with the Cape
Town Promenade, where we did our morning
runs each day, and one of the highlights was
parading all my awesome new adidas Team
SA kit with my roommate Georgina Fourie for
my parents.
to go. I just saw it as a temporary setback and was more determined than ever to
qualify for the next World Junior Championships, in 1998 in Annecy, France.
In 1998 I qualified at the ABSA Series meet in Port Elizabeth. My goal was to run a
sub-4:20 1500m in order to secure my spot on the team, and I crossed the line first
after out-kicking Julia Sakara of Zimbabwe in the final 200m of the race. I was in
total shock (and ended up tripping myself) when I saw that the clock was stopped
at 4:09! I not only qualified for the World Juniors, but also for the Commonwealth
Games, and I was ranked number one in the world with that time! That made me a
medal hopeful leading into the World Junior Champs.
Unfortunately, a week before the champs I picked up a grade three stress fracture
in my tibia. I tried to be brave and still lined up for the heats in Annecy, and it was
without a doubt my most painful 1500m. Worse still, I was the first runner to miss
out on a spot in the final, and it was heart-breaking to watch the final from the side
of the track. The only consolation was that the winner of the race posted a slower
time and that I was still holding the fastest junior time of the year for 1500m.
Unfortunately, no medals are handed out for World leading times.
Staying Positive
I might not have brought any medals back home, but what I value the most of
those Championships was the beginning of a very special friendship with Estie
Wittstock (now Nagel). Over the past 20 years we have shared some great
adventures while overseas and competing on the European circuit.
Due to the stress fracture, I also had to withdraw from the Commonwealth Games
that took place in Kuala Lumpur, but that gave me the opportunity to focus on my
final Matric exams. This was an instant cure for my Grandma’s heart problems, as
she feared that her eldest grandchild might fail Matric after missing too much school
that year – 46 days in total – while travelling the world and living a dream.
I finished 34th in the junior race and that
was where the spark was lit for future
international championships. The following
year I had the opportunity to travel to Italy
for the World Cross Country Championships
in Turin. The experience I had gained in
Stellenbosch paid off, and I finished in a
surprising 12 th position. The following year I
duplicated this performance when I finished
12 th again at the World Cross Country
Championships in Marrakech, Morocco.
Unfortunately, growing up I missed out on
the World Youth Championships on the track,
as they were only introduced in 1999, with
Bydgoszcz in Poland hosting the first meet.
However, I did qualify for my first ever World
Juniors, which was held in Sydney, Australia
in 1996, when I was 15 years old. I clocked
4:21 for the 1500m, but unfortunately I had
to stay home as I was told I was too young
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ISSUE 97 AUGUST 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za
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