Few spectators braved the evening chill to attend the final leg of Athletics South Africa’s (Asa) Night Series hosted at old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday.
A big disappointment was the absence of international stars such as Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk. The presence of other international sprinters and middle-distance runners however made for some good athletics.
This event was a first of its kind for Polo-
kwane and athletes gave it their all to chase qualifying times for upcoming major championships including the African Senior Championships in Durban next month, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland in July and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
The ASA Night Series meeting included two 800 m, three 400 m and four 400 m races for men and women in the senior and junior divisions. During the build-up in the afternoon, Limpopo schools competed against each other on the relay track. Limpopo Athletics (Lima) also entered teams who competed against local athletes from the South African team, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Swaziland, Boland and University of Pretoria (Tuks).
The senior Limpopo A men’s team left its mark in the 4 x 100 m relay finishing second with a time of 41,74 seconds with the B team finishing fifth in 44,88 seconds.
The senior men’s A team from Limpopo also achieved a fourth place in the 4 x 400 m event in a time of 3:31.96 while the junior women’s team also earned themselves a fourth place in the 4 x 100 m dash with a time of 50,91 seconds.
Results
4 x 800 m
Mixed junior/youth
1. South African junior team (07:39.81)
2. South African youth team
Senior women
1. South African senior team (08:48.22)
2. South African youth team
3. Central Gauteng
4. South African junior team
4 x 400 m
Junior men
1. South African junior team (03:13.73)
2. Mpumalanga
3. South African youth team
4. Tuks
Senior men
1. South African A team (03:08.93)
2. Swaziland
3. South African B team
4. Lima
Junior/Youth women
1. South African junior team (03:46.99)
2. South African youth team
3. Tuks
4 x 100 m
Junior/youth men
1. South African youth team (41,50)
2. South African junior team
3. Falcons
Junior women
2. South African junior team (48.78)
3. Boland
4. Lima
Senior men
1. South African team (41:55)
2. Lima A team
3. Madibaz Athletics
4. Royal Bafokeng
5. Lima B team
Featured Photo: Katlego Magwai for the Lima senior men’s A team finishes second in the 4 x 400 m relay for men.
RC Myburgh
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Above: Lima men’s A team runner France Ntene moments before the starter’s gun
