CGA hails season-opening track and field event
It attracted many young runners from across the province.
After a successful cross-country season, the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) shifted its focus to the sub-youth track and field season, with the first league meeting on September 30 at Germiston Stadium.
The event attracted the region’s emerging young talent, including local athletes Thato Sesoko, Matthew Pietroiusti and Kayla Froneman who dominated the middle-distance races, while Nqobile Banda, Logan Oosthuizen and McAllister Bubb shone in the shorter distances.
Sesoko, a gold medallist at the inter-provincials last year, won the girls’ U13 800m, while Froneman from Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) was fourth at the same event.
The 13-year-old Sesoko failed to secure a podium spot in her specialist 1 500m, an event she dominated last year, clocking 05:34 for fourth place.
Pietroiusti, who runs for the Brakpan club Irun AC, won the boys’ U11 1 200m with a time of 03:58. Rhys Connor Swayer from Benoni High Athletic Club finished in fourth place in the same event, while his sister, Teeghan Jade, was also fourth in the girls’ category.
In the sprint events, Banda, from East Athletic Club, ran 11:43 for second place in the girls’ U11 80m race, while Heike Duvenage from BNAC was third after crossing the line in 11:52.
The Boksburg Athletic Club (BAC) runner, Bubb, won the boys’ U11 100m, cutting the tape in 13:20 for the gold. Banda was second in the girls’ U11 race, finishing 13:30 behind winner Mieke van der Merwe.
In the 200m, Logan Oosthuizen won the boys’ U13 race in 22:60 while his BNAC teammate Lea Klingenberg was fourth in the U13 girls’ 600m, finishing the race in 02:07.
After finishing on the podium in the 80m, Duvenage showed her versatility by securing the second spot in the girls’ U11 70m hurdles while BAC’s Nika Weideman finished third.
Weideman’s teammate, Dian van Schalkwyk, won the boys’ U11 70m hurdles in a time of 11:63.
On the field, BAC athletes showed their class with Ryan Pienaar in second place in the boys’ U13 high jump, while Lanelda Herbst won the girls’ U11 shot put, with 09.97m. Tatum Coetzer was second in the turbo-javelin, with a distance of 15.83m.
The CGA track and field chairperson, Maggie Dicks, said the level of competition would assist them in selecting a strong squad for the inter-provincials in December.
“Overall, the event was a great success and we look forward to a great pre-season. The numbers and the level of competition by our young athletes at this league will assist us in selecting our team to represent the province at the inter-provincial championships in Secunda.”
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