Multiple national records fell on Wednesday, and there was a stunning victory by junior sprinter Karabo Letebele, as the ASA Grand Prix series opened with some memorable performances at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.
Opening the main programme at the top-flight domestic meeting, Leandri Holtzhausen produced an impressive heave of 67.95 metres in the women’s hammer throw.
Holtzhausen added more than a metre to the national record of 66.54m which she had set at a Central Gauteng Athletics league meeting in Germiston last month.
“I definitely feel I can go close to 70 metres. I really feel good, my training has been going well, and I feel it’s just a matter of time,” Holtzhausen said afterwards.
Later in the programme, the national women’s 4x400m relay team broke the nine-year-old SA record over four laps.
The quartet – Shirley Nekhubui, Miranda Coetzee, Marlie Viljoen and Zeney Geldenhuys – combined well to stop the clock at 3:28.30.
They took 0.19 off the national mark of 3:28.49 which was set by Caster Semenya, Jeanelle Griessel, Wenda Nel and Justine Palframan at the African Athletics Championships in Durban in 2016.
Other highlights
In the men’s 100m race, 18-year-old Letebele delivered a surprise performance, winning the men’s 100m race in 10.19.
Experienced campaigner Emile Erasmus finished second, also in 10.19, while African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala of Kenya was edged into third place in 10.22.
“I didn’t expect to beat him (Omanyala). I thought he was going to run under 10 seconds, so I just told myself to execute my own race, go through my phases and I’ll be fine,” Letebele said.
Prudence Sekgodiso also shone in the women’s 800m race, winning in 1:59.01 and holding off a challenge from Oratile Nowe, who was second in 1:59.46, breaking her own Botswana national record.
Sekgodiso had been entered in the 1500m race, but the event was scratched from the programme and she was included as a late entry in the two-lap contest.
In the women’s 100m hurdles race, Marione Fourie stormed to victory in 12.77 seconds, clocking the fastest time in the world this year.
Sekgodiso and Fourie were both sharpening up for the World Athletics Indoor Championships to be held in China next week.
“We didn’t quite know where I was standing in training, so opening my outdoor season with a result like this just shows we are ready for next week,” Fourie said.
Among other notable results on Wednesday, junior athlete Njabulo Mbatha triumphed in the 400m hurdles race in 49.40, running the fastest time in the world this year, and Aiden Smith won the men’s shot put with a big throw of 20.73m.
Bayapo Ndori of Botswana won the men’s 400m contest in 44.59, well ahead of Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo (45.42), and their compatriot Ketlhobogile Haingura took the men’s 800m race in 1:44.67.
* Featured image of SA women’s 4x400m relay team by Cecilia van Bers
