Club polishes its diamonds
Diamond Athletics Club strives to be more than just an athletics club for its members.
Diamond Athletics Club, based in Albemarle, invited the GCN to its practice session on Wednesday.
Established in 2010 by husband and wife, John and Maria Diamond, Diamond Athletics Club has experienced extraordinary growth in the short period since its inception.
The duo have always shared an interest in athletics and their children were active sports fanatics, so it was easy for them to focus their efforts on the new family business.
Although they started the club in 2010, it wasn’t until 2017 that they officially registered with Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA).
It was also the year in which they reached club status and found themselves with three clusters, one in Etwatwa in Benoni, one in Edenvale and one in Germiston, together assisting over 50 athletes.
“We have grown so quickly over the years, this year we have about 80 athletes with us,” said John.
“We are a non-profit organisation, and we try to provide all we can for our athletes.
“Most of them come from disadvantaged communities, and when they have to travel far for events, lack of funds can become an issue.
“However, we are focused on our performance and getting sponsorships this year, so that will change.”
John and Maria (head coach) are currently level two coaches.
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“In September, upon completing our qualifications, we will be accepted into level three coaching by the CEO of Athletics South Africa, Richard Stander,” John added.
As most of their athletes come from disadvantaged backgrounds, Diamond Athletics Club aims at improving not only their athletic performances, but also their overall well-being through educational scholarships that can hopefully change the athletes’ futures.
Even without big sponsorships, they have ensured that their goals have not been derailed over the years.
A number of their athletes have received University of Johannesburg sports bursaries, while others have received full bursaries from the University of Pretoria.
Two athletes took part in Aspire USA, a university placing initiative which has seen one of the athletes being placed at Adams State University while the other has yet to be placed.
“We are dominating the CGA league this year and we are striving to add more medals to our cabinet, especially from the provincial championships,” John said.
“We want to increase the collection by at least another five medals.”
Later in the year, Abraham Kaltamo, who is from the Etwatwa cluster of Diamond Athletics Club, will be representing South Africa at the World Master Athletics Championships in Málaga, Spain.
“We are excited and very proud of how far Kaltamo has come,” John said.
“We converted him into sprinter.
“He used to run the 10 000m in 30 minutes, now he runs the 200m, 400m (where he dominates), and he recently won the 800m in a very fast time.
“We hope to get sponsors so we can travel to Spain, and we hope our strategy will make us victorious.”
For more information contact the club on 062 039 9309 or email diamondathleticsclub@outlook.co.za
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