Strydom bags gold to qualify for nationals
She will represent CGA at the nationals.
Natalie Strydom appeared to pull a rabbit out of the hat when she won the U16 girls’ 800m provincial title at the CGA open track and field championships at the UJ Athletics Stadium on March 15.
But those who watched the 14-year-old during last year’s sub-youth nationals in Bloemfontein can attest to the Kempies runner’s potential.
She demonstrated immense talent inside the Mangaung Stadium in December when she finished fourth in the U13 girls’ 800m before claiming a silver in the longer 1 500m race.
So it wasn’t surprising that Strydom blew her competitors, including the promising Boipelo Maroga, out of the water at the provincial champs, after leading the race from the start to the tape.
Despite a strong challenge from Maroga, her Kempies teammate, Mikayla du Toit and Amore Zeelie of Nories on the final lap, Strydom remained composed at the bell and launched her attack with 200m to the finish, before sprinting down the home straight to win in 02:17.64.
“At the start, I stayed focused. The pace was fast but I stuck with the front pack. Around the 150m mark, I wanted to pull away but got stuck by another athlete and I stumbled but managed to keep going.
“About 20m before I got the bell, I accelerated around the bend and at 2200m, I heard someone behind me but I knew it was going to come down to a sprint. I dug deep, kept my head forward and pushed hard. I gave it everything I had. Crossing that finish line felt amazing,” she said.
Maroga took the silver in 02:18.22 with Du Toit completing the podium 0.19 seconds after the Nedbank RC runner.
Reflecting on her performance, she said, “I had a better time in mind. But pulling off the win in such a close race felt incredible. I’ll look at what I can tweak for next time. But overall, I’m proud.”
Being one of the younger runners in the bunch, Strydom, coached by Michael van Aswegen at Benoni Northerns, knew it was always going to be challenging but she focused on running a smart race and staying strong in the final stretch.
Strydom is banking on her experience from Bloemfontein and is going to the ASA age group and multi-event nationals in Cape Town from March 27 to 29, to challenge for a podium.
“I know my competition but I’m ready for the challenge. I need to trust my training and stick to my race strategy. That experience from Bloemfontein will help me in Cape Town. It will be a fun race and I won’t be holding back.”
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