Germiston-based Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) hosted its first track and field event following the lockdown at Boksburg Stadium on November 14.
Atiso Molefe, communications officer of the CGA, said this was the first meeting of its kind to be held with no spectators and strict safety protocols as per Athletics South Africa (ASA) and government Covid-19 regulations.
“A long-awaited moment commenced with the boys’ u-17 battling it out in a 3 000m event. Johannes Morepe appeared on the scene in the last 600m, leading the pack with over a lap to his victory of 08:50.46.”
Molefe said among the favourite races of the day was the senior women’s 3 000m event combined with the u-19 girls.
“Gene Coetzee took command of the race after the second lap, followed by senior Cornelia Joubert who was running steadily to close a gap of 100m from her rival. Coetzee proved to be the better runner, ending the race in a time of 10:15.5.
In a post-interview, Coetzee said she trained hard and did a lot of strength work and the results paid off.
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“Today’s victory is just a test towards the preparations for 2021 ASA Cross-Country Trials in January.”
According to Molefe, Flooks Heinrich of Kempton Park Athletics Club sprinted alone over a distance of 110m hurdles in the boys’ u-19 category.
“He drew strength from his arms while running with determination to clock under 15 seconds. He crossed the finishing line in 14.43, which is a good time considering his preparation for 2021 u-20 World Championships to be held in Nairobi, Kenya.
“A junior athlete who has already been named in the 2021 u-20 World Championships squad, Mvuyo Moss, joined the boys’ u-19 in the 100m event. He proved to be the rising star across the province with his 100m performance in a time of 10.72.”
Molefe said field events were a challenge considering protocols.
“After every athlete’s attempt, the equipment had to be sanitised. This critical protocol in fighting the spread of Covid-19 did not discourage the athletes, as Zonica Lindeque improved her personal best in the 3kg shot put event with a distance of 16.61m.
“The last event of the day was the high jump senior women’s event, where University of Johannesburg training partners Julia du Plessis and Mariette Botha opposed each other to get on top of the bar.”
“Du Plessis, who recently recovered from throat cancer, had seven attempts to finish second in the height of 1.55m. On the eighth attempt, Botha excelled with a great technique to overcome her rivals to finish on top at a height of 1.60m,” said Molefe.
Contact the newsroom by emailing:
Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za , and Lebogang Sekgwama lebogangs@caxton.co.za.
