Germiston will play host to the 2019 Sizwe Medical Fund & 3SixtyLife ASA Senior Track & Field and Combined Events Championships from 25 to 27 April.
These Championships have a history of delivering scintillating duels, from the heydays of Hezekiel Sepeng, Hendrick Ramaala and Llewellyn Herbert in the late 90s, to the more recent match-ups of Akani Simbine, Wayde van Niekerk and Clarence Munyai in the sprints, the regal striding of Caster Semenya and the tussle of the long jumpers, Luvo Manyonga and Ruswahl Samaai.
Hezekiel Sepeng started his journey to stardom at the 1996 SA Championships in Cape Town, when he won the national 800m, and went on that year to win the silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Three years later, in one of the closest finishes in an 800m, he was out-dipped on the line by the then world record holder, Wilson Kipketer.
“When I won that title in 1996, it set me on my international career. That is why the Sizwe Medical Fund & 3SixtyLife ASA Senior Track & Field and Combined Events Championships will always be important to me,” said Hezekiel, who is now the ASA High Performance Manager. “The National Championships are important, not only as a statement of intent by our athletes about their goals for Doha, but also because this is where we show the country how strong South Africa is as an athletics nation. And this is also where the next generation gets to compete against our current stars, which will hopefully inspire them to great things.”
In 1997, Marius Corbett was crowned World Javelin champion. He secured his selection to the team at the National Championships when he won his first national title, and went on to win the world title in 1997 and the Commonwealth title in 1998.
Semenya Caster shot to fame after securing her place on the team that went to the African Championships and then the World Championships in 2009, after winning the national title. This was also the year that she won her first world title.
Wayde van Niekerk won his first national 400m title in 2013, and showed glimpses of the incredible talent he was to become by going on to win the world student title that year. In 2015, he became world champion and a year later Olympic champion and world record-holder.
Akani Simbine won his first national 100m title in 2015. A year later, he made history and finished 5th in the Olympic 100m final.
The examples of South Africa’s best athletes starting their careers at the national championships are endless and with the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha the big target for the athletes, the 2019 Sizwe Medical Fund & 3SixtyLife ASA Senior Track & Field and Combined Events Championships will take on significant weight, as this will be an important part of their team selection.
“All athletes who want to compete at the IAAF World Championships in Doha this year have to compete at the National Championships. It is part of ASA’s selection policy,” said Athletics South Africa President, Aleck Skhosana.
