UJ athletes bring back the medals
JOBURG - University of Johannesburg athletes give it their all at the African Games.
They won one gold, two silvers and one bronze in the three-week continental tournament. Leading the pack was UJ high jumper Kabelo Kgosiemang, whose leap of 2.25m was enough to secure the top step of the podium for Botswana. UJ sports manager Francois Fouché said, “The institution was proud of their successes but had been hoping for a few more medal-winning performances. We have very high standards and we are used to better.”
Gymnast Claudia Cummins vaulted to silver while swimmer Kelly Gunnell bagged the runner-up spot in the 200m breaststroke.
“I understand that some of our athletes had to withdraw from their events for a variety of reasons, but I believe we had the potential to bring more medals home,” said Fouché.
Jaco Engelbrecht’s bronze medal for shot put completed their medal tally.
Triple jumper Roger Haitengi just missed the podium with his leap of 16.4m for Namibia, while Zinzi Chabangu grabbed fifth place in the women’s event with a 13m jump.
Fouché praised Chabangu’s efforts saying she was actually a junior athlete competing at senior level.
He said the African Games had provided UJ with an opportunity to review their strategy in terms of preparing athletes for international competition. “At this stage it is probably too late for the 2016 Olympics, but we are definitely looking forward to the 2020 Olympics and the 2022 Commonwealth Games,” added Fouché.
“If we focus on our key disciplines and develop the current and incoming talent, we could have some very successful campaigns in the coming years.”
Details: www.uj.co.za
