NMMU jumper Garth Ellis is expecting his university to make a much bigger impact in the second season of Varsity Athletics which gets underway in Port Elizabeth next week.
The long jump and high jump star says that the NMMU team has been bolstered significantly since the inaugural series last year as a number of athletes have joined the Madibaz.
“There has been a big response – there are a lot more athletes interesting in representing NMMU after they saw Varsity Athletics on TV last year so hopefully we will be a lot stronger,” he told varsitysportssa.com.
Ellis is expecting good support in front of his home crowd next Friday when action gets underway in Port Elizabeth.
“I am really looking forward to having the crowd and support behind us, how can you not look forward to that?
“We will also have the advantage of being used to the windy conditions here in PE,” he pointed out.
Although there will not be a Men High Jump event in Port Elizabeth next week Ellis will be competing in the Long Jump and is excited about challenging defending High Jump champion JVA Steytler in Potchefstroom and Pretoria.
“I have been training full-out since January and even set my Personal Best of 2.10 metres in February so I am hoping to peak in April to challenge for places in Varsity Athletics and the SA Senior Championships,” he explained.
After a tough conditioning phase at the end of last year in which he spent a lot of time in the gym, Ellis is feeling strong and ready to give his best when Varsity Athletics kicks off next week.
