Multiple national records fell on Saturday, with youth, junior and senior athletes setting new SA marks at home and abroad.
Distance runner Maxime Chaumeton continued his record-breaking spree, taking down his own national mark in the 5km event on the road.
Competing for Asics at the Breakfast Run race in Seville, Spain, Chaumeton won comfortably in 13:12. He clipped one second off the South African record of 13:13 which he set in Tokyo in May last year.
The 25-year-old athlete, who also holds the SA 10km record (26:55), finished well clear of the rest of the elite field in Seville.
Mohamed Ismail of Djibouti, the African 5 000m champion on the track, crossed the line 17 seconds off the pace of Chaumeton, taking second position in 13:29.
Nieman shines at Curro Podium Grand Finale
Meanwhile, in Pretoria, two national marks fell at the Curro Podium Grand Finale held at Pilditch Stadium.
In the youth girls’ 100m hurdles event, 17-year-old Megan Nieman stormed over the line in 13.02 seconds in the colours of Hoërskool Menlopark.
She sliced 0.08 off her own African U18 record of 13.10 which she set in Potchefstroom in September last year.
Burger on fire in Simbine Classic Shoot-Out
Competing at the same meeting, as part of the Simbine Curro Podium Classic Shoot-Out elite invitation event, 18-year-old Rume Burger took the runner-up spot in the women’s 300m race.
Burger, the national senior 200m champion, was half-a-second behind Jada van Staden of Tuks who won the race in 36.50.
The Oranje Meisies athlete, who was representing Nike, obliterated the U20 women’s national best of 37.64 which had been set by Viwe Jingqi over the unofficial 300m distance in Potchefstroom in February 2024.
* Featured image of Maxime Chaumeton by Cecilia van Bers
