Akani Simbine and Wayde van Niekerk are the poster boys expected to light up the track,
\namid tight battles at the\u00a0ASA Senior Track and Field, Combined Events and Relay
\nChampionships which will be held at Msunduzi Athletics Stadium in Pietermaritzburg from
\nThursday to Sunday (18-21 April, 2024).<\/p>\n
Across the board, this week will see the country’s top male athletes chase the coveted
\nnational titles at the KwaZulu-Natal venue.
\nIn the sprints, SA’s fastest men will need to be on their toes if they want to step on the
\npodium and all eyes will be on Simbine and Van Niekerk.
\nFor the 100m crown, the entry lists are packed, headlined by national record holder
\nSimbine who lines up in the colours of Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA).<\/p>\n
He will face the likes of junior teammate Neo Modibe and versatile athlete Cheswill
\nJohnson (also CGA), as well as a strong contingent from Athletics Gauteng North (AGN)
\nincluding Gift Leotlela, Thembo Monareng and 18 year-old prospect Bayanda Walaza.
\nA strong challenge is also expected from a powerful Athletics Central North West (ACNW)
\nteam spearheaded by Benjamin Richardson and Bradley Nkoana.
\nSimbine has already shown his class on the domestic circuit this year, setting a national
\n150m best of 15.04 seconds at the Backtrack Classic Shootout in Tshwane in February,
\nand clocking 20.32 to take second place behind Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo in a rare
\nappearance over the 200m distance at the third leg of the ASA Athletics Grand Prix Series
\nin Johannesburg last month.
\nGearing up for his first 100m race of the year at the ASA Senior Championships, Simbine
\nsaid he was focussed on retaining his national title before starting his build-up to the Paris
\nOlympics on the international circuit.
\n“My next race is at nationals and I want to make sure I get the job done there,” Simbine
\nsaid after the Grand Prix in Johannesburg. “I’ll be going back to the 100m at the SA
\nChampionships because I need to defend my title.”
\nOver the 200m distance, all eyes will be on 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk,
\na former national record holder and World Championships medallist over the half-lap
\ndistance. Van Niekerk will need to find his top gear if he hopes to clinch gold for Boland
\nAthletics (BOLA).
\nHis opponents include SA 200m record holder Clarence Munyai, Sinesipho Dambile and
\nWalaza, who will all turn up for AGN. Rising stars Richardson and Modibe are also
\nexpected to be in the hunt in the 200m as well.
\nThe 400m event is going to be tough, even without Van Niekerk in the field. Zakithi Nene,
\nwho won a Diamond League race last year, will be more than eager to shine for host
\nprovince KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA).
\nNene, however, will not have things all his own way against a super line-up of one-lap
\nspecialists which also features former world junior champion Lythe Pillay and his CGA
\nteammates Thapelo Phora and Sokwakhana Zazini, as well as Gardeo Isaacs from
\nWestern Province Athletics (WPA).<\/p>\n
A\u00a0thrilling race is expected among the distance runners\u00a0in the men’s 5 000m event, with a
\nworld-class field converging at the starting line.
\nNational record holder Adrian WIldschutt returns home from his base in the United States
\nfor a rare appearance on SA soil. He will run in the colours of WPA. WIldschutt is up
\nagainst the likes of CGA quartet of Ryan Mphahlele, Maxime Chaumeton, Precious
\nMashele and Tsepho Tshite, alongside former SA record holder Elroy Gelant and his
\nACNW teammate Jerry Motsau.
\nOther athletes to watch on the track include in-form 400m hurdler Le Roux Hamman
\n(AGN) who goes up against African champion Zazini in their specialist event.
\nAfrican record holder Antonio Alkana will also be hoping to put up a fight and dominate a
\nhandful of promising young athletes in the men’s 110m hurdles.
\nIn the field events, more fireworks are predicted in the men’s long jump competition.
\nThe appertising line-up features Jovan van Vuuren (AGN), who has already landed at
\n8.30m this season and former World Championships medallist Ruswahl Samaai (BOLA).
\nThey will need to beat the likes of Asande Mthembu (AGN) and Johnson, who is as
\ncapable in the long jump as he is in the 100m sprint.
\nWithout doubt, the high jump contest will also attract a great deal of interest, with another
\nstrong field in the offing. Former World U20 Championships medallist Brian Raats is
\namong the favourites, along with ACNW teammate Mpho Links. Breyton Poole (BOLA), a
\nformer World U18 Championships champion, will also put up a fight for the gold medal.
\nOther athletes who are expected to stand out in field events are Olympic finalist Kyle
\nBlignaut and Jason van Rooyen, with the CGA stars likely to continue their domestic
\nrivalry.
\nHammer throw specialists Tshepang Makhethe of Athletics Free State (AFS) and Alan
\nCumming (BOLA) have also produced some hard-fought battles in recent years and they
\ntoo should have the crowd on its feet.
\nFormer World Championships finalist Victor Hogan (BOLA) is the favourite for the discus
\nthrow title and Valco van Wyk should produce some more entertainment for the spectators
\nin the pole vault.
\nOne thing is clear though, there will be something for everyone at the ASA Senior
\nChampionships, which is expected to produce thrills throughout the week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"