Youngster gunning for his mentor’s milestones

After his massive PB of 01:55.75 in the 800m, Kempies middle distance athlete Michael Bekker believes he is urging closer to breaking his coach Michael van Aswegen’s lifetime best in the double-lap track event.

While many youngsters will point to established names in athletics as role models, Bekker is intrigued by what Van Aswegen achieved in his youth and uses that as a barometer to gauge his progress.

Bekker, who Van Aswegen trains at the Benoni Northerns Sports Club, chalked 4.17 seconds off his previous mark of 01:59.92 at the South African Schools Athletics (SASA) championships in Bloemfontein in April.

The Hoërskool Kempton Park learner feels he will soon match and ultimately break Van Aswegen’s 01:51.08 set in Roodepoort in 2009 to prove to the coach that he can reach the level that saw Van Aswegen represent SA at the World Athletics Youth Championships in 2009.

“Coach Mike was very good at a young age. I’m getting closer to his PBs to prove to him that I can do what he did,” said Bekker.

The 16-year-old doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. He is regarded as one of the most promising middle-distance prospects. His continuous improvement is proof of the hard work behind the scenes.

In March, the Teenager recorded two big PBs in the 1 500m and 3 000m at the ASA age-group championships in Cape Town. He broke under four minutes in the three-and-a-half lap race with 03:55.78 for the first time and then finished the 3 000m in 08:38.76 for a silver.

The athlete has shown his versatility by taking his track form to cross-country with two blistering performances in the opening two leagues of the CGA season.

He started with 20:20 for second place in the youth men’s 6km race in league one in Kwa-Thema on May 3 and followed with a quick-fire 05:50 in the 2km in the second league in Kagiso on May 17.

“It’s all my hard work. I want to place in the top three at the CGA champs in August and go on to win the 6km title at the nationals,” he said.

All of this hard work is his bid to qualify for the nationals in September in Middelburg, where he will again face Emil Els from Gauteng North.

Though his talent is undeniable, Bekker, who started running in Grade Three, understands that talent alone is not enough to reach Van Aswegen’s level and achieve his goal of representing his country at the highest level.

“I train hard. If you put in 100%, you will harvest it back. I want to run for my country in the Wanda Diamond League and Olympics. I’m going to do everything I can to achieve this.”

Also Read: Bekker bags double podium at nationals

Also Read: Bekker wins a thrilling race at CGA champs