Brakpan sprinter Leendert Koekemoer wins CGA Junior Athlete of the Year
He ran under 46 seconds several times this year, including breaking the national U20 400m record that had stood for 31 years when he clocked 45.03 seconds in the semi-finals of the men's 400m at the ASA Senior Championships in April.
The fastest U20 400m athlete in the world, Leendert Koekemoer, ended a successful year in style after receiving the top junior accolade at the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) awards at Melrose Arch on December 7.
The 18-year-old sprinting sensation from Dalview, Brakpan, was named the CGA junior male athlete of the year to end an incredible record-breaking, medal-filled season.
“I’m proud of myself. I worked hard for this award,” he said.
The CGA athlete enjoyed a successful season that will mostly be remembered for breaking the South African U20 400m record that had stood for 31 years.
He broke the record in the semi-finals of the men’s 400m at the ASA Senior Championships in Potchefstroom in April.
Koekemoer clocked 45.03 seconds to shave 0.12 seconds off Riaan Dempers’ 45.15 seconds set in 1994 in Secunda.
The youngster carried the momentum into the World Athletics (WA) Relay Championships in May, running a strong third leg as South Africa grabbed the gold.
He grabbed his second international medal as part of the country’s men’s 4x400m relay team, which clinched bronze at the WA Championships in Tokyo in September.
Asked about his key takeaways from the season, Koekemoer said, “It was crucial to stick to the game plan, do my own thing, try not to overthink and overdo things. I tried to stay composed, do what I had to do, and it worked out in the end.”
The athlete, coached by Lindi du Plessis -who was named the CGA coach of the year – highlighted sharing a dressing room with world 400m record holder Wayde van Niekerk and smashing the national U20 record as his most memorable moments of the year.
“Having Wayde on my relay team and being around him in the dressing room and at training was massive for me. We all admire him. Breaking the national record was also massive. I had been chasing that goal for a long time,” he said.
Looking ahead, the Helpmekaar Kollege alumnus has his sights on the WA Junior Championships one-lap dash crown, where he will probably square up with American 400m sensation Quincy Wilson.
“Next year is going to be something special. I definitely want to chase the world juniors gold. The coach is preparing me well for this. She knows how we should prepare for the race against Quincy. All is under control.”
He thanked Du Plessis for her guidance and lauded teammate Lythe Pillay, winner of the world juniors 400m title in 2022, for assisting him in preparing for the global showpiece.
“Lythe and I have come a long way. I’ve been training with him since I was young. I look up to him in many ways. He is helping me prepare for the world juniors,” said Koekemoer.
