UP-Tuks hurdler Leroux Hamman has likened the Varsity Athletics meetings to that of the good old days when you represented a school and not as an individual.
Hamman claimed the 400 metre hurdles title at the first Varsity Athletics meeting in Potchefstroom to equal the feat he achieved in Port Elizabeth in 2014.
“Running and competing at a Varsity Athletics competition takes me back to the days of running at school meetings because it is no longer about an individual achievement but rather something to help the entire team win the event.
“The entire atmosphere of the Varsity meetings is electrifying and winning in front of a full pavilion heightens the sense of achievement,” he told varsitysportssa.com.
The 23-year-old paid tribute to the excellent work done by Varsity Sports in bringing back the love of athletics to the public and allowing students to showcase their talents as they pursue careers in the sport.
“Most of us [student athletes] have dreams of competing at international events and the Varsity Athletics meetings provide us with the ideal stepping stone to feel what it like to be an international athlete.
“The meets are professionally run and the atmosphere created by the supports makes you feel like you are at the World Champs or other major meetings. Also knowing that the meet is being broadcast live automatically gets the adrenalin going and provides a nice advert for student athletics in the country,” he added.
The Mechanical Engineering student enjoys being on the same team as his brother, Muntingh, and admits his nerves increase when watching him compete but seeing him succeed settles the butterflies as they feed off each other’s energy.
Hamman qualified for the World Student Games when he ran a time of 50.22 seconds at a Provincial meeting and has now shifted his focus to breaking the 50 second barrier at the upcoming Athletics South Africa Senior Track and Field Championships in Stellenbosch as well as leaving the event with a medal around his neck.
