THE ASA Senior Track and Field Championships will get underway in Potchefstroom on Thursday, with the country’s top athletes gunning for national titles on the track and in the field.
We take a closer look at some of the star athletes who will be taking part.
Wayde van Niekerk (Boland Athletics)
A two-time world champion, former Olympic Champion and the current world record holder in the 400m sprint, Van Niekerk will be looking to take another step forward on the road back to his best after recovering from a serious knee injury.
Though it was unclear whether we would see him in full flight again, the 30-year-old speedster burst back into form last year by clocking 44.33 seconds – his fastest time since being injured in 2017 – finishing fifth at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, USA.
Some younger athletes will be eager to cause an upset by beating the global star this week, but Van Niekerk is one of the most respected sprinters in the history of the sport and he won’t give up without a fight.
Akani Simbine (Central Gauteng Athletics)
South Africa’s most consistent athlete in recent years, Simbine’s presence on the start line will have his opponents shivering. He’s got a strong field he will need to beat in the 100m sprint, but the experienced 29-year-old athlete is a living legend of South African athletics.
Having finished in the top five at the last three editions of the World Championships and the last two Olympic Games, the former African and Commonwealth Games champion is a proven championship racer who knows how to handle pressure at the highest level.
The SA record holder has also dipped under 10 seconds for the last eight years in succession in the short sprint and if anyone wants to finish ahead of him, they’re going to have to run like they’ve got rockets strapped to their feet.
Ruswahl Samaai (Boland Athletics)
He didn’t have his best season last year after shifting his base to the United States, but Samaai will be looking to make headlines again on home soil.
A former World Championships bronze medallist, Samaai is the third best long jumper South Africa has ever produced, with only Luvo Manyonga and Khotso Mokoena having leaped further than his 8.49m personal best.
He has been unable to launch himself beyond 7.68m so far in the 2023 campaign, but Samaai cleared the eight-metre barrier every season between 2014 and 2021, and he will be confident of securing the national title once again.
Carina Horn (Central Gauteng Athletics)
Let’s be honest. Horn doesn’t have the most attractive running style. Stiff and choppy, she doesn’t look like she can run very fast. Looks, however, can be deceiving, and whatever she’s missing in terms of style, she makes up for it with her phenomenal speed.
The SA 100m record holder and a two-time African Championships medallist, Horn is the only South African woman who has dipped under 11 seconds and she has been the country’s fastest woman for some time.
At the age of 34, the defending champion will want to prove she is still the woman to beat and betting against her may not be well advised.
Prudence Sekgodiso (Athletics Gauteng North)
Last year, Sekgodiso had a spectacular breakthrough in the 800m event, running under two minutes for the first time and reducing her personal best to 1:58.41. She also secured the bronze medal at the African Championships in Mauritius.
The 21-year-old athlete is getting better and better, and it’s only a matter of time before she makes a real impact on the global stage.
Until then, she’s likely to continue her dominance on home soil and after winning the 800m and 1 500m titles at last year’s ASA Senior Championships, she will line up as the favourite to take the double once again.
Zeney van der Walt (Athletics Gauteng North)
A former world youth and junior champion, Van der Walt is one of the brightest prospects in South African athletics. Last year the 22-year-old rising star stepped up at senior level by winning the African title and earning bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
Not only is she fast with a superb technique, but she is also as tough as nails and has repeatedly produced gutsy performances which have seen her gritting her teeth and fighting to the line.
Just like most of the other athletes in this list, she will have to beat a strong field if she wants the national title, but Van der Walt will go into the blocks as the firm favourite for the gold.
The three-day ASA Senior Championships, being held at NWU McArthur Stadium, will come to a close on Saturday.
Date: 30 March to 1st April 2023
Entrance: R60 per person, per day.
All the action will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Image Cecilia Van Bers (The SA 100m record holder and a two-time African Championships medallist Carina Horn will be competing in Potchefstroom later this month).
