Local runner hopes to qualify for the Olympics

Though he recently returned from injury, Keaton Stansfeld is already working hard to gain fitness in time for the local cross-country season.

The injury he sustained at the end of last year affected his chances of a shot to represent the country at the world cross-country championships in Australia last month.

But all was not lost for the Farrarmere resident whose serious business now is securing qualification for the Olympics in Paris, next year.

“It seems a bit far-fetched. We are going to push and see if we can get there,” he said.

A specialist in the middle-distance events, he said he wants to compete in the 5000m for which the standard qualification time is 13:04.

This is a distance that was dominated by East African athletes from 1980 in the Olympics until Great Britain’s Mo Farah – originally from Ethiopia – wrestled control in 2012. And recently Sweden’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen has emerged as the torch bearer, along with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and Kenya’s Jacob Krop, following Farah’s retirement.

So how does Stansfeld plan to usurp or at least match the East Africans and the dominant Ingebrigtsen in the 12-laps event?

The University of Pretoria student seems to have the blueprint of how the Kenyans do it through their fartlek training.

He attended the Sirikwa Cross-Country Classic in Kenya last month and after an encounter with one of the world’s leading long and middle distance running coaches, Patrick Sang, the former Farrarmere Primary learner’s mentality has changed.

Sang mentors Eliud Kipchoge, the only man in the world to run a marathon distance under two hours, and double Olympic and world 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon.

“Patrick says the first thing you need to clear before your race is your head. He says if you have negative thoughts pre-race, you will never be successful.”

With intel on Sang and his compatriots’ approach which has resulted in their decades-long dominance, he reckons a change of strategy can benefit Athletics South Africa.

“The way the Kenyans think about their training is completely different from here. They have specific programmes for specific athletes.

“Patrick says they first prepare their athletes mentally. Before they start their season, they go through a gym programme which we don’t do here. All we want is to run. I think we need to do more of what they do because they are the top runners in the world,” Stansfeld said.

For his countrymen to repeat the feats achieved by the likes of Wayde van Nierkerk, Castor Semenya and Hestrie Cloete on the grandest stage, he believes more investment will make this possible.

At the age of 20 and with national colours in badminton already and sights on colours in hockey in future, Stansfeld at least has time on his side.

“I have a goal to run a sub-27 in the 10km before the end of the year, 13:04 in the 5km and hopefully qualify for Paris 2024. Otherwise if it doesn’t happen, the goal is Los Angeles in 2028.”

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