Germiston athlete sets a new record at championships
After winning the race, he told GCN that he dedicated his win to his brother in Cape Town.
Kgoputso Manaleng of Germiston Callies set a new record in the U16 100m hurdles for boys with a time of 13:58.
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The Jeppe Boys athlete officially entered his name into the history books at the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) two-day provincial track and field championships at Germiston Stadium on March 10.
After winning the race, he told GCN that he dedicated his win to his brother in Cape Town.
“My brother is a doctor. He assured me before the race that I was the best even though I might be the youngest competitor at 14.
“I didn’t trust him, but I thought I might get closer to winning because I was up against skilled athletes,” said Manaleng.
“It seemed impossible to triumph in this race. In the CGA final league, I ran a 14:1. I committed to pushing myself to run faster. I didn’t believe I would run a 13:58,” said Manaleng.
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His friend and teammate Mukona Manavhela expressed his joy for Manaleng and commended his confidence in his ability to win the race.
“I noticed him standing there without warming up because they were lining up. I questioned what he was thinking.
When the starting gun went off, he just shot straight to the finish line,” said Manavhela, who described his friend as a ‘beast’.
Manaleng also rejoiced when Manavhela won gold in the boy’s U16 200m race.
