Jade Doran’s redemption arc hit its golden peak at the ASA U16, U18, U20 and U23 track and field championships at Germiston Stadium on March 28, a performance forged through adversity, doubt and, ultimately, defiance.

If there was ever an athlete who deserved to stand atop the podium at the event, it was the Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) teenager.

Doran successfully defended her national U18 women’s 2000m steeplechase title on the very track where her season had unravelled just weeks earlier.

In her opening race of the year in January, she had cut a defeated figure, clocking a time well below her standards after what had been a breakthrough 2025 campaign that saw her earn national colours.

“I remember that race so clearly,” Doran said after her victory. “I felt completely off and didn’t understand why. It was frustrating because I knew the work I had put in.”

Determined to turn things around, she went back to work immediately, but the answers didn’t come easily. It was only after being diagnosed with a vitamin B deficiency that things began to make sense.

“In a way, it was a relief,” she explained. “At least I knew what was wrong and that it was something I could fix. From there, it was just about rebuilding and trusting the process again.”

Signs of that rebuild emerged at the provincial championships at UJ Athletics Stadium three weeks ago, where Doran looked like a different athlete, sharper, stronger and ready to fight. It was a warning shot to the rest of the country.

By the time she stepped onto the start line for the national final, there was no doubt about her intent. Just metres away, her parents, Gavin and Jean, stood locked in a tense embrace near the mixed zone, mirroring the weight of the moment.

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The race unfolded tactically. Western Province’s Selmarie Erasmus dictated the early pace, with Doran sitting comfortably in the chasing pack, unflustered and composed over the barriers.

“I knew I didn’t have to panic. I trusted my strength, especially in the last part of the race.”

That patience proved decisive.

With two laps to go, she began to wind things up as fatigue crept into Erasmus’ stride. When the bell rang, Doran struck. Using her strength over the first barrier on the back straight, she surged past the leader with authority.

“There was a moment where I just told myself, ‘Now or never,’” she said. “Once I went, I committed fully.”

From there, there was no response from Erasmus, who was eventually passed by runner-up Zanta Lourens and third-placed Celeste Pienaar.

Doran’s long, powerful stride carried her clear as she attacked the final water jump with precision and drove down the home straight, lifted by the roar of her teammates and the Central Gauteng contingent.

She crossed the line in a personal best 07:00.24, just a fraction outside the elusive sub-seven-minute mark she had targeted at the start of the season.

“I’m so close, it’s actually exciting. Today was about defending my title, and I’m proud of that. The sub-seven will come.”

Also Read: Doran targets national PB after emphatic provincial triumph