Chelsea van Dyk and Jade Doran delivered commanding performances to retain their provincial titles, while Taylor Cobbett and Gemma Rigele also added to Benoni Northerns Athletic Club’s (BNAC) tally at the CGA Open Track and Field Championships held at UJ Athletics Stadium on March 13 and 14.

Van Dyk secured another impressive middle-distance double, successfully defending her U16 girls’ 3 000m and 1 500m crowns, while Doran retained her U18 women’s 2 000m steeplechase title.

Cobbett clinched a gold and silver in the U18 women’s 200m and 100m, respectively, while Rigele added a gold, silver and bronze medals in the U18 girls’ 400m hurdles, 400m and high jump.

Jordan-Lee Longstaff grabbed a silver in the 400m hurdles to ensure Benoni Northerns Athletic Club (BNAC) ended the championships with nine medals.

Van Dyk produced two dominant front-running displays to underline her class. The St Dunstan’s College learner opened her campaign with victory in the 3 000m on March 13, controlling the race from the outset to win in 09:56.35 — more than 20 seconds ahead of runner-up Ofentse Mothapo of Absa Running Club.

While Mothapo stayed in contention during the early stages, Van Dyk gradually stretched the field with each lap. The 14-year-old ultimately crossed the line comfortably, improving on the 10:15.56 she clocked when winning the same title at last year’s provincial championships.

The Central Gauteng athlete, who is also a national champion in both events, returned the following day to complete the double in the 1 500m.

Again taking charge from the gun, Van Dyk dictated the pace throughout the three-and-three-quarter lap race to claim gold in 04:23.52. Milan Botha finished second in 04:33.78, while Ilse Louw secured bronze in 04:34.95.

Doran also produced a commanding performance to defend her U18 women’s 2 000m steeplechase title.

After a challenging start to the season, she stamped her authority on the race early, surging to the front and quickly distancing herself from the field.

With every lap, the gap grew larger as she navigated the barriers and water jumps with composure.

Running largely unchallenged over the closing stages, Doran crossed the finish line in a season’s best 07:10.02. Karabo Ntsibande of Boxer Athletics Club finished second in 07:44.60, while Kendra Dorfling of Kempies claimed bronze in 07:50.27.

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Cobbett was in sublime form in the short sprints. After breezing through the heats in the U18 women’s 200m on March 13, she clinched the provincial title in 25.04 seconds, before finishing behind Oluchi Ndubueze in 12.32 seconds in the 100m the following day to add a silver to her tally.

Rigele also enjoyed a memorable championship in her first season competing over the distance.

The St Dunstan’s College learner surged to second place in the U18 girls’ 400m, clocking 57.05 seconds to secure the silver medal behind Chanè Fourie, who won the race in 54.86. Teegan Aronson completed the podium in 57.97.

Rigele cleared 1.55m in the high jump for a bronze to cap off her campaign, rounding off a successful championship for BNAC.

Other results

Other notable BNAC performances include fifth place for Rhys Sawyer in the U16 boys’ 1500m, sixth for Anele Skwatsha and Tamica Lloyd in the U18 boys’ 800m and U16 girls’ 1 500m steeplechase.

Dusveer Sahadeo was fifth in the U18 boys’ 110m hurdles, while Itumeleng Tsomele also finished fifth in the U16 boys’ 200m dash.

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