Simbine, Horn to burn up track
Joint SA 100m record-holders Akani Simbine and Carina Horn will headline the inaugural Athletics SA Night Series meet in Tshwane.
|||Johannesburg - Joint South African 100m record-holders Akani Simbine and Carina Horn will headline the inaugural Athletics South Africa Night Series meet at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday (6pm start).
Beijing Olympics long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena, LJ van Zyl - a 400m hurdles world championship silver and bronze medallist - as well as two-time worlds bronze medallist, javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen, and 400m hurdles finalist Wenda Nel will take part in what is quite a strong field considering the timing of the event, as the top athletes gear up for the European season ahead of the Rio Olympics in August.
The 22-year-old Simbine - who equalled the 9.97sec SA 100m mark set by the “Blitz from Klapmuts”, Henricho Bruintjies, four days earlier in July last year - will hope to go one better and claim the record on his own during the four-meet Night Series across the country over the next few months.
Running on his home track in Pretoria may just be what the Tukkies athlete needs to take the next step, as the high altitude conditions are sure to result in quick times.
Simbine’s main competition will come from Bellville Athletics Club’s WP sprinter Roscoe Engel, who has a personal best of 10.19.
Van Zyl will give his usual event a miss as he will run the 400m flat, while Mokoena will do the triple jump instead of long jump.
SA women’s 100m champion Horn equalled Evette de Klerk’s 25-year-old mark of 11.06 last year, and her aim will be to break through the magical 11-second mark ahead of the Olympics. She will be pushed by Nel, who will do the short sprint instead of her regular 400m hurdles.
Other notable athletes include Botswana’s 2014 African 400m champion Isaac Makwala, who will participate in the 200m, where he has a sub-20sec time, while SA 5 000m record-holder Stephen Mokoka will line up in the 3 000m race.
On the women’s side, renowned long-distance runners the Phalula twins, Lebo and Lebogang, will compete in the 3 000m.
“We are excited that we are managing to continue with this high standard event even though it is not sponsored. We welcome all the international athletes who have made themselves available,” Athletics South Africa president Aleck Skhosana said in a statement on Monday.
“Our mandate is to strive to provide our athletes with conducive conditions to perform at their level best. Some of them are still looking for qualifying times and there is nothing nicer to most athletes than to have that chance to do it on home soil.”
ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za
@IndyCapeSport
Independent Media