Ashton de Kock of Diamond Athletics Elite will compete in the ASA Grand Prix 2 at Germiston Stadium today, April 19.
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She is a 100m and 200m sprinter and a bachelor of education (degree) student at Varsity College.
GCN chatted with Ashton before the competition.
Her sights are on winning the Grand Prix and competing in the continental events.
“Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, a Jamaican track and field sprinter who competes in the 60, 100, and 200m, inspires me,” said Ashton.
“She is widely considered to be one of the greatest sprinters of all time.
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“My ambition is to compete in University Sports South Africa competitions and qualify for the U20 World Championships in Lusaka, Zambia.
“I had to run 12.4 seconds, and my personal best is 12.32 seconds,” said Ashton.
She said she is considerably happier when competing and began competing because her father encouraged her to.
“As I grew older, I grew to appreciate the sport. I competed in the SAs in Grade Five. After suffering an injury in Grade Six, I competed again in high school.
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“I went to compete at the school district in Grades Eight, Nine, and 10.
“There was Covid-19 in Grade 11, and the following year, I competed in the SA school’s athletics. Our U19 girls won the gold in relays, and I finished fifth in the 200m finals,” said Ashton.
She said as a teacher, she would be able to establish talent development places in schools.
