Sprinters Benjamin Richardson and Shirley Nekhubui were the best performers among a large group of 16 South African athletes who competed at World Athletics Continental Tour meetings in Europe on Tuesday night.
At the Spitzen Leichtathletik track and field meeting in Lucerne, Richardson took second place in the men’s 100m sprint, clocking 10.17.
Behind him, 20-year-old Abduraghmaan Karriem took third position in 10.24, while Bradley Nkoana finished third in the 100m B race in 10.28.
In the men’s 200m contest, Sinesipho Dambile grabbed fourth spot in 20.58 and Richardson settled for seventh place in 20.88.
And in the 400m sprint, Udeme Okon ended fourth in 45.39, while 18-year-old Leendert Koekemoer was just 0.01 further back, finishing fifth in 45.40.
In other events Rogail Joseph took second position in the women’s 400m hurdles B race in 56.32, setting a season’s best, while Dario Matau was third in the men’s 200m B race in 20.77, and Franco le Roux finished seventh in the men’s 110m hurdles B race in 13.89.
Nekhubui shines in Italy
Elsewhere, at the Brescia Grand Prix in Italy, national 300m record holder Nekhubui was the best of the South Africans, taking second place in the women’s 200m sprint in 22.99.
One-lap specialist Miranda Coetzee, dropping down in distance, finished fifth in the half-lap race in 23.58.
Another sprinter, 20-year-old Viwe Jingqi, settled for sixth position in the women’s 100m dash, crossing the line in 11.67.
Among the men, Lythe Pillay finished fourth in the 400m race in 45.58, Tsebo Matsoso was sixth in the 100m sprint in 10.33, Aiden Smith ended sixth in the shot put with a 19.32m heave, and national record holder Antonio Alkana took seventh place in the 110m hurdles in 13.46.
* Featured image of Shirley Nekhubui by Cecilia van Bers
