Athletes regroup for second CGA Track and Field league

The outcome of the race was not surprising, but how it unfolded did.

March 12, 2021

Sabelo Mashego 2 minutes read

Boksburg Athletic Club's Cassandra Raath (left) en route to her 90m hurdles victory at a recent CGA meet in Boksburg. Photo: Sabelo Mashego.

Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) kept the momentum going as it hosted the second athletics meeting in as many weeks at the same venue, the Boksburg City Stadium, on February 27.

The excitement was brought as early as the first competitive event when the senior women lined-up for the gruelling 5 000m. It featured sisters Lebo and Lebogang Phalula, who dominated during the recent CGA Cross-Country Championships in the 10km event. They were joined by Farida Zwane – a strong long-distance runner in her own right.

The outcome of the race was not surprising, but how it unfolded did. The highly favoured sisters opted for a controlled pace in the early stages, as Cornelia Joubert enjoyed a start that initially made it seem she would be one of the top finishers.

However, as the business end of the mini-marathon approached, Lebo increased the intensity. She quickly closed the gap on a fast-tiring Joubert as she again displayed her class before comfortably winning in 17:18.32. Her sister ensured there would be no upset as she settled for silver after a finish of 17:43.29. Zwane completed the podium as she finished third in 17:53.87.

“Today’s race was to better our performances since there are no other opened races, but we continue to train smart to stay away from injuries,” said Lebo during a post-race interview.

The 5 000m senior men event, in which 27 runners competed, saw the likes of long-distance specialists Mzazi Gladwin and Simon Sibeko battle it out. The duo battled throughout the race but it was Gladwin of Boxer Athletics Club who outlasted the field before clinching top honours in 14:34.66. Despite a helluva performance in which he set a new personal best time of 14:34.66 from the 14:39.70 he clocked during the reverse meeting, Sibeko settled for the runner-up position.

In the boys’ u-17 high jump event, University of Johannesburg’s Connor Annandale was the last man standing as he was left to compete with the 2m height. Following a few failed attempts at the 2m mark, the young talent settled for gold after comfortably clearing the 1.95m mark.

The last event of the day, the senior men’s mile (1.6km), was fitting for ending proceedings with its high-quality line-up. It began with an exciting neck-to-neck battle between eventual winner Nhlanhla Dlamini and fellow trainer Nkosinathi Sibiya. The pair continued the battle until the end with either man refusing to back down, but stamina would be the decider. Having exhausted all of his energy in keeping up with Dlamini, Sibiya fizzled out when it mattered most – opening the door for another high-profile athlete in Maxime Chaumeton, who finished second before Nicholas Whittaker. The finishing times were 04:03.56, 04:06.92 and 04:12.90 respectively.