Team ready for the inter-provincial contest
Over 38 young runners from Bayoyo Athletics Academy participated in the Dorothy Nyembe Run in Soweto on Saturday.
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KwaThema – The run saw young runners from and around Gauteng racing for the number one title.
Two of the team’s young runners aged (8) made it in the top ten cut.
Team coach, Charles Vilakazi, says he is happy that his young runners didn’t succumb to pressure.
“It wasn’t an easy run because the weather wasn’t that favourable and the runners were freezing.
“I am proud of Olwethu Mashishi who made it to the third position while Junior Moshe was in position eight,” he says.
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Bayoyo says the team will be moving to the next leg of the competition in the Interprovincial Championships in Kagiso in two weeks.
“This will be followed by the cross-country races which will be hosted at the Alberton Dam two weeks later.
“We are working hard by training, preparing for the races because we want to be crowned the champions this year.
“We understand that the race won’t be easy because many young runners will be participating, but we are ready for the challenge,” he says.
Bayoyo says he is calling on local business people to come forward to sponsor the young runners’ trips to the races.
“We have a big team of over twenty runners who will be participating in the race and some of them come from poverty-stricken households and cannot afford to attend the races.
“Through your support, we will be able to give them the opportunity to improve their running skills.
“This will pay off when they are selected to represent the area and later the country,” he says.
Bayoyo adds their academy helps keep the children off the streets.
“ Sport teaches them how to become responsible citizens and discourage them from taking drugs,” he says.
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