After dominating on SA soil, Tadu Nare looks ready to spread her wings

Having spent the last few years flying back and forth between Ethiopia and South Africa, distance runner Tadu Nare admits she might not return to the local circuit as often next year, if at all.

She said yesterday she was grateful, however, to have been given the opportunity to raise her profile on SA soil.

Though she arrived for the first time in South Africa as an unknown junior athlete in 2020, Nare has gained significant experience since then, emerging as a dominant force in the annual Spar Grand Prix series.

And having lowered her 10km personal best to 31:28 in the process, the 21-year-old prospect is likely to start spreading her wings a little more next season as she targets the global stage.

Last year she won the Barcelona Marathon on debut in 2:23:53, and while she may still make sporadic appearances here, she has nothing left to prove in SA and it seems inevitable that she will be chasing bigger goals over the next few seasons in an attempt to progress her career.

Making adjustments

“I do plan to come back, but you never know. I might have to make adjustments,” Nare said yesterday after wrapping up her Grand Prix title defence at the sixth and final leg of the 10km series in Cape Town.

“I might have other races, so it will depend on my schedule.”

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After clocking 31:53 to win in Cape Town, Nare fired a warning at her opponents before departing SA shores.

If she does have enough space in her schedule to return next year, she hopes to run even quicker than she has over the last couple of seasons.

“I’m very happy for the opportunities I’ve had in this series,” Nare said.

“And wherever I race in future, for me, it’s all about improving and breaking my own records.”