AFTER suffering from a stress fracture, local 21-year-old runner, Gena Lofstrand, is determined to succeed at this year’s World Championships. Her sport of choice was mountain biking, which was influenced by her father who was also a competent rider and then she took to running in duathlons. During her early teens Gena started cross country running which led to her joining the Fast Feet track club at the age of 15, where her focus lay on the 800m.
This young athlete’s commitment and dedication to her training resulted in a two-year meteoric rise from provincial cross country runner to South African Junior and senior 800m champion in 2013. Her best performance, a time of 2.04, which placed the then 17-year-old among the very best juniors in the world.
Although Gena qualified to represent South Africa at the 2013 World Junior Champs in the USA later that year, following a heart-wrenching rehab from stress fracture, it was too little too late. She reached the semi-finals with a well below par performance.
The next two seasons she said were best forgotten as she battled through the stress fracture and glandular fever.
Gena returned from the University of Potchefstroom earlier this year and although she received a bronze medal in the 800m at the 2016 South African Championships, behind the famous Castor Semenya, her performance was not her best.
“It was pleasing that my best performance of 2.04 in 2013 was equalled in the very last event of my mid-year European tour.”
Gena is now steadily and surely preparing herself to achieve the world championship qualifying standard of 2.02 at the South African Championships in April.
Her hopes are to achieve the elusive sub two-minute at the World Championships in mid 2017.
Gena’s physical condition is back to her best with current performances a clear indication that she is ready to rewrite her own record book in the very near future.
