The athletics spectacular, Varsity Athletics, will showcase the first of two legs at the UJ Stadium in Johannesburg and there is no doubt that some explosive action will be on display.
Leading the charge for Pukke in their efforts to win their first Varsity Athletics title outright is Olympic Silver Medalist, Caster Semenya.
Semenya spent some years in the athletics doldrums after her 2012 Olympic Silver Medal but is now clearly back with a vengeance.
“The goal is Rio. Everything is about Rio and I am excited for 2016,” Semenya has said on more than one occasion. And she has every right to excited and hopeful.
On Saturday 12 March at the Athletics Central Northwest Provincial Championships, Semenya smashed her previous best over the 400m by more than half a second. Semenya was clocked at 51.47sec, bettering her previous best of 52.21 set earlier this year. Since 201 Semenya has taken a whopping 1.5 seconds off her 400m time.
That 51.47sec is a qualifier for the Olympics in the 400m which in itself is ominous for when she hits her event of choice, the two lapper.
Should Semenya pull another time like that out of the bag at the first Varsity Athletics meeting on Friday 18 March, then she will be adding 1148 valuable points to her team’s total.
Semenya was on a hot streak in 2009 when she won the World 800m title. She won the silver medal at the 2011 edition before her Olympic Silver in 2012. After that Semenya had struggled with injury which cost her both the 2013 and 2014 season.
In December 2014, Caster Semenya made the move to Potchefstroom and started training under the guidance of Jean Verster. There were signs that Semenya was gaining her form again when she sneaked into the World Championships at the latest possible date with her 2:00.72 clocking for the 800m in Linz. And when she opened her World Championship campaign with a 1;59.59, there was huge excitement. But two years of injury had not allowed her to get into the necessary shape to challenge for the final and she bowed out in the semifinals of the World Championships.
But clearly a good winter has made the world of difference. Not only has she bettered her lifetime best over 400m, but Caster Semenya also clocked a 24.35sec 200m. Ominous form for her competitors indeed and Pukke will be banking on big points from the 800m specialist.
By Manfred Seidler
