A touch of speed

Despite a short and intense fourth academic school term, the athletes of Fourways High School made the most of a few track and field opportunities presented to them and the team did not disappoint.

Athletics South Africa introduced a brand-new schools competition when they launched the Twizza Super School Series this year. Teams of 15 boys and girls were selected by each school and competed at the Tuks (University of Pretoria) Bestmed Stadium on 19 September. Despite being the inaugural meeting, the crème de la crème of the country’s junior athletes congregated to enthral the spectators for an incredible day of athletics.

Fourways High had some brilliant individual performances including:

• Nadya Stolarczyk with a time of 00:02:23

in the girls’ U19 800m and 00:04:50 in the 1 500m

• Caprice Joseph with 00:13:38 in the girls’

U16 100m and 00:27:69 in the 200m

• Kayla Esterhuizen with 00:29:75 in the

girls’ U16 200m

• Lara Langton with 00:27:10 in the girls’

U19 200m

• Kayla Lemkus with 00:04:84 in the girls’

U19 long jump

• Gary van Staden with 00:02:06 in the boys’

U16 800m

• Ethan McDougal with 00:52:63 in the boys’

U16 400m and 00:23:06 in the 200m

• Thabiso Mokoena with 00:11:88 boys’ U19

100m

• One of the stars of the day was Lubo

Zlatev who won the boys’ U16 long jump

with a leap of 00:06:85m.

The team as a whole did very well and was rewarded with an invitation to the finals of the series to be held on 1 February next year.

In October the track and field team filled the bus and headed out to Potchefstroom for the annual North-West University Top 30 Athletics Meeting where over 70 of the top schools in the country gathered for this two-day meeting. Despite the fact that the meeting coincided with a heatwave, the athletes revelled in the opportunity and presented some sterling results.

Results:

• Caprice Joseph improved on her Twizza

time with 00:13:16 for the 100m race and

00:27:30 in the 200m race

• Lara Langton with 00:13:77 in the 100m

girls’ U19 and 200m 00:27:09

• Darshan Naidoo with 00:24:60 in the U14

boys’ 200m

• Panashe Matreke with a time of 00:24:91

in the U15 boys’ 200m

• Matt Dinner 00:51:30 in the U19 boys’

400m boys

• Gary van Staden ran a personal best in the

boys’ U16 800m 00:02:05

• Long-distance star Nadya Stolarczyk ran

and won her first-ever 3 000m in 00:10:40

• Lubo Zlatev again jumped a fantastic

00:06:78 in the boys’ U16 long jump.

A tired but spirited team arrived back late after the meeting, having raised the bar individually and for the team as whole and confident that the 2020 season is going to be a big one.

Details: Fourways High School www.4ways.co.za/extramural/sports/track-and-field

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