Wayde van Niekerk made to wait as triple jumpers steal the show

With much of the action scheduled for the end of the programme, triple jumpers stole the main stage on Friday after poor weather conditions forced most of the afternoon session to be called off on day two of the SA Athletics Championships in Potchefstroom.

Sprinter Wayde van Niekerk had been expected to line up in the 400m semifinals, while high jumpers, middle distance runners and hurdlers were due to compete in some anticipated finals.

But shortly before these track events could be held, and before the men’s high jump could be completed, a thunderstorm forced officials to suspend all competitions. And with load shedding preventing the use of the stadium lights in the evening, the rest of the day’s action was ultimately called off.

The only finals that could be held before lightning and thunder sent the athletes running for cover were the men’s triple jump and the decathlon.

Triple jump show

Fortunately for the crowd in the stands, a thrilling three-way battle in the triple jump gave them something to shout about.

Lleyton Davids produced a wind-assisted 16.92m leap to take the national title, but he had to work hard for it against the Olivier brothers, 17-year-old Ethan and 20-year-old Welre, who have an interesting but complicated background.

Welre Olivier was born in South Africa but their family moved to New Zealand when he was nine months old, and Ethan was born there. They moved back to South Africa later in their youth.

Ethan finished fourth at last year’s World U-20 Championships, representing the country of his birth, and Welre broke the New Zealand triple jump record in Potchefstroom last month when he leaped 16.48m.

ALSO READ: Simbine, Horn win 100m titles at SA Athletics Champs

Both athletes live in South Africa, however, and they hold dual citizenship, allowing them to compete at the SA Championships.

And while Davids managed to hold off challenges from both of them, they took silver and bronze in a closely fought contest.

Welre landed at 16.91m, just one centimetre behind Davids, and Ethan jumped 16.85m, again flaunting his tremendous potential.

In the decathlon, Fredriech Pretorius won gold with 7 483 points, finishing well clear of the rest of the field.

All other finals that were scheduled for Friday will be added to the programme on Saturday.