Kovsies’ Rynardt van Rensburg says he is just happy with the win in the 800m event at the Varsity Athletics meeting in Potchefstroom.
The middle-distance runner is in his third year of Varsity Athletics competition and is just enjoying himself even more on the track in the latest edition
“I am very satisfied. I just wanted to walk away with the win so I am very happy about the result,” Van Rensburg told varsityathleticssa.com.
“My secret is just hard training. In the 800m you have to run smart, if you run smart when you hit the race it helps a lot.”
Van Rensburg believes the athletics set-up at the University of Free State is one that is unique in that they do not have a large athlete pool, which one would find at other universities.
“We are really close. I think because we are not that many athletes like some of the other big universities. I think it is more like a family environment where we are all very close together,” he said.
The third year Marketing student has witnessed the growth of the sport at university level over the years and believes the standards of competition at meetings is the main reason why more and more people are coming to watch.
“I really enjoy running in the Varsity Athletics with the vibe and stuff that is always going on. You just don’t find that atmosphere in other athletics meetings in South Africa. Potchefstroom was very enjoyable.
“The level of competition is always high because all the universities choose their best athletes. Over the past few years, people have started attending it more,” said Van Rensburg.
With the next meeting in Stellenbosch a few weeks away, Van Rensburg is already looking ahead to try win another title, although it won’t be in the 800m. He also has his sights on goals beyond the Maties’ meeting.
“I will be running the mile (1500m) in Stellenbosch. I don’t really specialise in that event, but I am looking forward to running it. I won the mile last year so I think I will enjoy it.
“Later in the year I would also like to qualify for the World Student Champs as soon as possible and then qualify for the World Athletics (senior) Champs as well,” he added.
