Athletes’ every last drop of blood, sweat and tears will be shed at the Puk McArthur Stadium this weekend, from Friday 11 – Saturday 12 March. The occasion will be massive and expectations sky high at the Athletics Central North West (ACNW) Track and Field Championships as the province’s best senior and junior athletes aim to qualify for their respective SA Championships later next month. The juniors will qualify for the prestigious South African National Sub-Youth, Youth, Junior and u.23 Championships (SA’s ) taking place in Germiston this year from 31 March – 2 April. The SA Senior Track and Field Championships will take place in Stellenbosch from 15-16 April and these national events are the highlights of a spectacular athletics season.
According to ACNW’s Jean Verster, some of SA’s best athletes such as Olympic silver medalist, Caster Semenya, the middle distance specialist André Olivier, Elroy Gelant as well as javelin star, Sunette Viljoen will be the ones to watch in Potchefstroom this weekend.
“Caster is in good form this season especially in the 400 and 1 500-metres and she will look to continue her good form on Saturday,” he said. “It is also worth keeping an eye on Jerry Motsau who is a former SA champion in the 1 500-metre,” Verster added. Their performances this weekend will be a good indication of their chances on the national stage.
One should also not discount some of NWU Pukke’s local talent, such as the lightning fast Koketso Mogapi and Olivia Jordaan, as well as the 3 000-metre specialist, Joel Mmone, SA high jump champion, Julia du Plessis and high jumper, Sarel Prinsloo to name a few. “Interesting additions to these championships are the international athletes who will also compete with our North West athletes. The mix of young and established talent will be great to watch,” said Verster. With this kind of competition, it is no wonder that athletes in all age groups across the province will want to improve and hit their peak in Potchefstroom this weekend.
Besides the senior athletes, this will also be a fantastic opportunity for school athletes to get a good run in before the National Secondary School Championships in Bloemfontein from 17-19 March.
The action starts with the hammer throw for Youth Girls at 16:00 on Friday and ends with the 400 metres for Senior Men at 16:35 on Saturday. There will be a total of 147 items in the 2 days of spectacular athletics action.
