SA athletics team triumphs in Cameroon
This victory is significant because the team finished first overall with 19 medals – nine gold, four silver and six bronze.
The SA athletics team returned home on June 28 as African champions, having dominated the medals table at the CAA African Senior Championships in Cameroon.
This victory is significant because the team finished first overall with 19 medals – nine gold, four silver and six bronze.
It is the first time SA topped the standings since hosting the event in Durban in 2016, ending a streak of second-place finishes behind Kenya.
ALSO READ: Athletes compete in the tennis series
The nine athletes who claimed gold were Cheswill Johnson (long jump), Miranda Coetzee (400m), Rogail Joseph (400m hurdles), Ashley Erasmus (shot put), Jo-Ane van Dyk (javelin), Mire Reinstorf (pole vault), Brian Raats (high jump), Kyle Rademeyer (pole vault) and the mixed 4x400m relay team.
The silver medals went to Marione Fourie (100m hurdles), Mine de Klerk (shot put), Jana van Schalkwyk (javelin), and Victor Hogan (discus).
The bronze medalists included Danielle Nolte (long jump), Shannon Verster (heptathlon), Collette Uys (shot put), Benjamin Richardson (100m), Alan Cumming (hammer throw), and Wayne Snyman (20km walk).
Among the standout performances were 19-year-old Ashley Erasmus and the mixed 4x400m relay team, both of which set new national records.
Erasmus led an SA sweep in the women’s shot put final, winning gold with a throw of 18.17m, breaking Drienkie van Wyk’s 2002 record of 17.88m.
ALSO READ: Athletes scoop four medals at Comrades Marathon
The mixed 4x400m relay team, comprising Gardeo Isaacs, Shirley Nekhubui, Mthi Mthimkulu, and Miranda Coetzee, won their final in 3:13.12, smashing the previous SA record of 3:14.97 set earlier this season.
Coetzee also excelled individually, retaining her African title in the women’s 400m with a time of 51.16 seconds and surpassing the Olympic qualifying standard with a semifinal time of 50.90 seconds.
“This victory comes at a crucial time, boosting morale ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris next month.
“We hope World Athletics will recognise this competition, allowing deserving athletes to participate in the Olympics,” James Moloi, the president of Athletics South Africa, said.
