Athletes selected on merit, says CGA
“The four junior girls were selected based on their ASA cross-country championships performance after the athletes who participated in the Absa race did not meet the qualifying time of 40 minutes."
The Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) has maintained it followed the selection criteria when choosing the team to represent the province at the national 10km championships in Mbombela on November 4.
This comes after concerned parents and athletes questioned whether some in the team took part in the Absa Run Your City Joburg 10km race on September 24, which incorporated the CGA 10km championships, and met the qualifying time as per the selection criteria.
The athletes in question are the four in the junior women’s category (Naledi Makgatha, Khunadi Mashishi, Kiona Robinson and Cassidy Bosman), with one parent pointing out that none of them participated in the Heritage Day event at Mary Fitzgerald Square.
The CGA GM, Mandla Radebe, the defended the organisation, saying that none of the province’s junior women who ran in the Joburg race met the qualifying time, which was to complete the race under 40 minutes.
Radebe elaborated the selectors considered the national ASA cross-country championships results, which were also part of the selection criteria.
“The selection criteria is not only based on participation. The athletes must run the qualifying times, in this case, 40 minutes for junior girls,” Radebe said.
When asked whether the quartet took part in the 10km event at the cross-country nationals, he said there was no 10km race for juniors in cross-country, adding the athletes took part in the junior girls’ 6km race while those aged 16 and 17 ran in the 4km race.
“Technically, cross-country is considered tougher than road running. If you take the time on the road at the same distance and compare it with cross-country time, cross-country will be slower.
“The other aspect is that for younger athletes, we always recommend cross-country and track and field participation rather than road running,” said Radebe.
Makgatha, the national 5km champion after winning the inaugural ASA 5km championships’ junior women’s title in June, won the 6km junior women’s title in 22:25 at the national cross-country event, while Mashishi was eighth.
Robinson and Bosman were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the girls’ U16 4km after crossing the line in 14:51 and 15:05.
Radebe insisted it is not new that the province had selected athletes based on their performance in the CGA 10km race or the national cross country results.
“We selected the athletes on merit based on the set selection criteria and qualifying times, together with their cross-country performances.
“Over the years, we have selected the CGA 10km team from the provincial championships and cross-country nationals,” said Radebe.
The GM said they have an appeal process, open to all athletes. That query must be sent to the CGA offices. Email mandla@centralgautengathletics.co.za
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