Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 98, September 2017 | Page 9

Kalmer’s
CORNER
Our Modern Athlete Brand Ambassador’s Blog
ANOTHER
WORLD CHAMPS
HANGOVER!
I’m sure most of us were glued in front of the TV to
support our local heroes at the recent IAAF World
Championships that took place in London. And boy did our
athletes make the track and field hangover so worth it!
– BY RENÉ KALMER
T
hat included our long jumpers, Luvo Manyongo and Ruswahl
Samaai, winning both the gold and bronze medals in one event at
a World Championships, Caster Semenya adding a 1500m medal
to her collection, and Wayde van Niekerk defending his 400m World Title
successfully. However, I may be a bit biased, but my two favourite events
were the women’s marathon and women’s 1500m.
Mad About the Marathon
Watching the
marathon brought
back some great
memories of running
along the streets of
London myself exactly
five years ago during
the Olympic Games
in 2012. At the time I
was a bit disappointed
at finishing 35 th in a
time of 2:30:51, but my battle with injury, followed by pregnancy, has put
things into perspective, and I realise I was just being a spoilt brat.
It was heart-warming to see
some of the friends that I
have met around the world
over the years performing
really well in London. It
was an epic finish in the
marathon, with Rose Chelimo
denying Edna Kiplagat her
third victory at a World
Champs, but it was Amy
Cragg from the USA, with her
final kick to cla im the bronze medal, who had me jumping up and down.
Amy is married to one of my running friends, former SA athlete Allistair
Craig who now runs for Ireland and lives in the USA. Amy has also had a
few frustrating years, plagued with injuries and not performing according
to her potential. I was also thrilled for my Aussie friend Jessica Trengove,
who finished ninth in a sub-2:30 time.
I also feel for the South African marathon
runners, who were only informed of their
inclusion in the team six weeks prior to
the Championships. You need at least four
months to prepare for a marathon and be
race ready on the day. Even so, Desmond
Mokgobu had a solid run and finished 21st
in 2:16:14 in the men’s race. His top 25
position now earns him a spot on the IAAF
Gold Label list, with the possibility of being
invited to more international marathons and
to earn a higher appearance fee. Our two
women’s marathoners, Mapaseka Makhanya
and Jenna Challenor, also showed great
guts and determination to finish well under
difficult circumstances.
Over the years I have realised that these tough races where you need to
dig deep, are the ones that develop you and teach you the most about
yourself. These races are often the ones you reflect back on when a similar
situation pops up in another tough race, and I am sure our marathoners
have gained valuable experience of competing among the world’s best, on
the biggest stage!
Elation and Heartbreak
Meanwhile, in the 1500m final, it was a huge relief to see that the race was
not a tactical affair, but that the girls clocked some fast times. Caster kept
our medal hunt alive when she out-dipped Laura Muir right on the line,
in front of her home crowd, for the bronze medal. My heart was breaking
for Laura, who did most of the hard work and front-running for most of
the race, because position four in track and field is the equivalent to the
unlucky number 13. Then again, I think there are just too many favourites
in the 1500m, and unfortunately only three medals.
It was also sad to witness the
end of the Usain Bolt era. I think
many of us hoped that he could
end his phenomenal career with
another gold medal, but we had
to be content with him taking
the bronze in the 100m, while
the controversial Justin Gatlin
ran away with the Gold. Still,
watching Usain run brought
back great memories of when
I met his parents, Wellesley
and Jennifer, at the 2011 World
Championships in Deagu, South
Korea. I joined an IAAF delegation on a city tour of Deagu, where I got to
meet this humble, down to earth couple, and I also joined them in a fun
Korean Wedding ceremony.
Not only has this World Champs meet brought back some awesome
personal memories of competing on the world stage, but it has also
inspired me to keep pushing to get back into competitive running again.
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