Coach Ndlovu is shaping young athletes into future champions
Coach Ronny Ndlovu is shaping the next generation of athletes with Run Alex Juniors.
Run Alex Juniors’ coach Ronny Ndlovu is training young athletes in Alexandra not only to keep them off the street, but to shape them into champions capable of representing Gauteng in national events.
He believes that if they break through to compete nationally and internationally, they will have a better chance of securing scholarships and progressing to university.
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He said for the past three years, his junior team has been dedicated to running cross-country. Reflecting on their progress, Ndlovu recalled a standout moment in 2023 when a remarkable performance from one of their 8-year-old female athletes earned her a spot to represent the Alex Run club at a national event. The momentum continued in 2024, with two more athletes, a 13-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, participating in athletics nationally, and the boy won a bronze medal as part of the team prize.
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The young athletes have been consistently training and regularly participating in running events, including the junior day sprint event early this year at Kwabhekilanga sports ground, and recently, a cross-country event on May 17.
“We are still working hard to get the community to embrace athletics and start to pay attention, and hopefully start to support in whichever way they can, but we are not giving up on this,” he said.
He added the support of the community had improved, and this was witnessed through the success of their second annual 10km road race on March 21. The funds they raised from entries help sustain the club.
Ndlovu noted that on May 31, they were going to Dobsonville for their third cross-country league, where most of their juniors would compete ahead of the Central Gauteng Athletics meeting.
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