The country’s top student-athletes will look to set the track alight at tonight’s second leg of the explosive Varsity Athletics competition. After this past weekend’s South African age group championships, world class performances are expected as a mixture of senior and junior athletes battle it out to see which varsity is the best team.
The men’s one-mile race will, amongst others, be a race to look out for at tonight’s competition seeing that a possible sub 4-minute race is on the cards as the country’s top 1500m athletes battle it out a week before the national championships. Jeromy Andreas (UJ), Rantso Mokopane (Pukke), Anthony Timoteus (UWC), Llywellyn Groeneveld (Maties), Johan van Wyk (Maties), Johnathan Bredenkamp (Tuks) and Bothlolo Goitsimodimo (TUT) have all dipped under the 3min50sec mark, thus making the sub 4-minute mile race extremely possible.
More magic is likely to be on display in the men’s 400m race, since Peter Conradie (Pukke) will look to repeat his 45-second feat of this weekend. It will not be easy, because the winner of the first leg, Quintin Norris, has his eyes set on qualifying for the Olympic Games. Whilst these two will battle it out in the one-lap event, 100m gold and silver medallists at this weekend’s U23 national championships, Thando Roto (Tuks) and Samkelo Sabela (UJ), will have a head-to-head battle that could possibly see these stars run a sub 10.16sec Olympic qualifying standard. Roto and Sabela’s 10.2sec 100m shape is an indication that sprinting in South Africa is on another level.
Jean-Mare Senekal from Maties, will look to make use of her home-ground advantage as she takes on former Boland 400m hurdles Youth Olympic champion Gezelle Magerman in the women’s 400m hurdles race. Senekal beat Magerman to second position in the first leg, but it was equalled a few weeks later at a meet in Cape Town, so today’s winner will take the lead heading into national championships.
And whilst Roto and Sabelo will battle it out in the men’s 100m race, it will be a battle between UWC’s Tamzin Thomas and Tuks quick-starter Tebogo Mamathu in the women’s race. Thomas was crowned the national 100m and 200m at the past weekend’s national championships whilst Mamathu did not compete. Mamathu boasts with a very fast 11.40sec season’s best and Thomas, who came out of the blocks really slow, clocked an 11.59sec. A great race is expected. Athletes also to look out for are: Tuks’ Margaret Olwoch (200m), UWC’s Petunia Obisi (200m) and Gena Lofstrand from Pukke who will head up the women’s 800m.
Whilst some of these athletes are trying to qualify for the Olympic Games, others are doing their best to qualify for World Junior Championships. A great platform to run fast, jump far and high, and smash personal bests. Thank you Varsity Sports!
By Reginald Hufkie
