That’s why I don’t like them. Like most, I was disappointed after the last Comrades Marathon up-run and watched in disbelief when Manchester City snatched the Premier League from Arsenal.
I learnt in 2005 when an under-strength Liverpool beat a star-studded AC Milan to the UEFA Champions League title that those given little chance to succeed are the ones most likely to triumph.
If anything, the Paris Olympics made this clear.
Most pre-event favourites were shocked in races they would have otherwise won, while others blamed Covid when the underdogs upset them.
Take Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr in the men’s 1 500m. The pair are the two best in the distance in the world. They dominated public discourse. It was their race and anything in between received little attention. But they were beaten by an American outsider Cole Hocker.
It was the same story in the women’s 100m. American Sha’Carri Richardson was touted as the clear favourite, only to be destroyed by Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.
What about the upset of the Games in the men’s 200m? After winning the men’s 100m dash, Noah Lyles declared that no one would win the 200m, saying his competitors would be depressed once he came off the turn. Guess who was depressed when Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo crossed the line to take the gold?
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Eliud Kipchoge recorded his first marathon career DNF, Faith Kipyegon was upset by teammate Beatrice Chebet in the women’s 5 000m and the women’s marathon world record holder, Tigst Assefa, couldn’t match Sifan Hassan’s speed at the death of the women’s race on August 11.
That’s the nature of sport. You win some and lose some, even if you are the best in the world.
So, as the curtain closes on the CGA cross-country season with the provincial championships on Saturday in Kagiso, I want our young runners to hold their heads high, irrespective of the results, after a riveting season where most of them came of age.
They ran, dominated and represented Greater Benoni with pride.
Provincial champions Chelsea van Dyk and Siyanda Madlabane are expected to defend their titles after being dominant all season but they should tread carefully because anything can happen on race day.
Young Zandreh van der Merwe and Bokamoso Nonyane impressed in the leagues. Van der Merwe challenged the dominance of Undiphile Myeki in the U12 boys’ 3km while Nonyane was in devastating form in his category.
To Alexis Visser, Dominique Broughton and Henry Hamman, as well as Kevin Hickley, Bronwyn Nel and Kiana Pepler, you’ve got this.
To those who will be competing, you may not be favourites but my money is on you. Go out there and represent.
There are pre-event favourites in your categories but know that once the gun goes off, anything is possible.
Whatever the results, you are all winners.
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