Magakwe and Visser flaunt early form

Two of South Africa’s most experienced athletes delivered superb performances at the weekend, with sprinter Simon Magakwe and long jumper Zarck Visser flaunting impressive early season form by winning provincial track and field titles.

Former national record holder Magakwe stormed over the line in 10.06 seconds in the men’s 100m final at the Western Province Athletics Championships in Cape Town, well clear of Zimbabwean athlete Tatenda Tsumba who finished second in 10.29.

The 32-year-old speedster, who won his seventh national 100m title last year, set his fastest time since the 2014 season when he clocked 9.98 to become the first South African to dip under the 10-second barrier.

While some of his younger compatriots were favoured to target places in the SA team for the World Championships in Doha later this year, Magakwe stuck up his hand as a contender for a place in the squad.

Similarly, Visser looked set to join accomplished countrymen Luvo Manyonga and Ruswahl Samaai as the lead protagonists in the contest for spots in the national team for the global showpiece.

According to reports, the 29-year-old former African champion launched a leap of 8.41m at the Central Gauteng Athletics Championships in Germiston.

Visser equalled the personal best he set in Bad Langensalza in July 2015, though he needed to find some consistency if he hoped to join his compatriots among the favourites for podium places in the build-up to next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.

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