SA’s women athletes are rising – at last

While the country’s elite male athletes have lit up tracks around the world in recent years, with increased depth being built on a foundation of quality performances, the nation’s top women have been left lagging in their wake.

It seems, however, they are ready to launch a charge of their own and South African women’s athletics is on the verge of a breakthrough.

While SA women have shone at the global level, led by Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen and Wenda Nel, the depth just isn’t there. Or, at least, it hasn’t been until now.

Records that have stood for more than 30 years have started tumbling and with the momentum they’re building, our elite women could soon match the achievements of SA’s men.

Last month in Pretoria, sprinter Carina Horn finally shattered the long-standing national 100m record which she had previously shared with Evette de Klerk. Her 11.03sec victory at the SA championships was proof of her ability to become the first local woman to dip under 11 seconds in the 100m.

The future, however, lies with the youth and in the same way we’ve seen male athletes growing from age group to senior level, the country’s talented young women have begun to stick up their hands.

Teenager Zeney van der Walt broke a junior record held by local athletics icon Myrtle Bothma when she finished second behind Nel in the 400m hurdles final at the national championships.

And Gontse Morake displayed tremendous talent at the national age group championships in Paarl this week by bettering the SA youth mark in the one-lap race over the barriers, which was previously held by Youth Olympic champion Gezelle Magerman.

Also competing at Dal Josaphat Stadium in Paarl, another teenager, Rose Xeyi, clocked 11.55 to miss the 35-year-old national youth 100m record by 0.01.

While they haven’t achieved the same success, junior women competing in events such as shot put and hammer are also chipping away at national records and lifting standards.

With the likes of Semenya and Viljoen still consistently producing world-class performances, the improved quality at all levels is promising.

And as we’ve seen with the likes of Wayde van Niekerk, Luvo Manyonga and Akani Simbine, top junior athletes are crucial in developing the sport at senior level. Quality in youth and junior age groups is needed to create succession, with each generation building on the last.

They’ve got a long way to go to emulate the achievements of the nation’s elite men, but growing concern about the failure of SA’s top women to close the gap on the global elite may soon be over. Our traditionally patriarchal society has largely been blamed for the drought of elite female athletes and while the men’s performances have proved SA can take on global track and field giants, perhaps the rise of the women offers some proof that we are making inroads in our fight for equality in all areas.

If SA women are as capable as men on the track – a platform for testosterone-filled beasts to flaunt their speed and power – then they’re as capable anywhere else. The world knows SA has men who can beat the best in the world.

It’s time to show them we’ve got world-class women, too.

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