De Waal’s star continues to shine in US

Hoërskool Oostelig alumnus and former deputy head boy Cayde de Waal still has plenty left in the tank after a successful first year of running as part of the Indian Hills Community College athletics team in the USA.

In a year when De Waal shone during the indoor and outdoor track seasons and recently made hay in the cross-country season, it was the perfect start to life in America for the middle-distance runner.

After a decent indoor run between January and February, the 21-year-old rose to stardom in the outdoor season when he clocked 03:52.94 for fourth place in the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) outdoor track and field nationals in March, becoming an All-American.

That was a fulfilling moment for the Brakpan resident, and since then, he can’t stop thinking about what more he could accomplish.

“After that race, I’ve really wanted to dominate on the track and, hopefully, break some school records along the way,” he said.

De Waal carried his form into cross-country. At the NJCAA Region 11 Cross Country Championship meet, he added his name to the Indian Hills history books when he recorded the college’s fourth-fastest time of 24:24.02 over the 8km, becoming a first-team all-regional athlete.

Although his sixth place at the regionals stands out, there were plenty of lessons, not only from his performance at the national championships when he placed 30th out of a field of 193 athletes but across all six league meetings.

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“We had a total of six meets, including our nationals meet. With every race, I got better and learnt a lot. Not just about the races but about myself and what works for me across the 8km because it was something I didn’t really do. I had many new strategies and learnt how to compete in the distance,” said De Waal.

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De Waal had shown glimpses of his talent locally before crossing the Atlantic. He placed fourth in the 15km in 52:38 at the Colgate Race in 2022 and, last year, improved to second in the same distance in a personal best of 49:49.

He also finished second in last year’s Benoni Northerns Marathon 10km race in 34:05.

With college bests of 01:56.11 in the 800m, 08:58.68 in the 3 000m, 04:14:34 in the mile and 18:29.8 in the 6km in cross-country, the runner said he couldn’t have achieved all this without his family’s support.

“They made many sacrifices and were there for me through a lot of tough times. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. That pushes me to do even better.”

His short-term goals on the track are achieving a sub-4:05 in the mile, getting to the low 3:40s in the 1 500m, and competing in the National College Athletics Association (NCAA) division one.

“It’s been my goal since moving to the US because the NCAA is where some of the top athletes in the world are. I feel that having the NCAA as a potential move will shape my career and be a big step towards my main goal of the 2028 Olympics and going pro,” he said.

For now, however, De Waal will continue working towards achieving his goals, and it begins with the indoor track season’s start on December 7.

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