Germiston athlete stays fit for the upcoming nationals
"The performance there will determine how prepared we are for the African Games and the World Athletics U20 Championships. We will also prepare for the next Olympics in 2028," said Ashlynn.
As the athletic season concluded, local athletes continued to practice to stay healthy and ready for national contests.
Germiston athlete Ashlynn Norman is one of the many local athletes who is passionate about athletics and continues to train at the Germiston Stadium.
The 15-year-old is a Hoerskool Marais Viljoen learner who started athletics at a tender age.
She is a 100m and long jump specialist.
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“We noticed her abilities at a young age and pushed her to compete in school races starting at six. We realised she had talent when she was doing long jumps in the sandpit,” said her father Graham Norman.
“Since starting to train with coach Thulani Sibeko, she has made significant progress.
“Seeing how Thulani’s athletes progressed over the years we had to bet our young girl’s success on him. He has the ability to allow athletes to prosper,” said Norman.
Sibeko of Thulani Sibeko Training Group applauded Ashlynn for her natural ability to adapt and progress.
“We started to plan for her upcoming competitions and we are working towards achieving our goals,” said Sibeko.
“She performed well at the Gauteng Schools Championships, winning gold in both the 100m and long jump events, qualifying for the SA Schools Championships.
She also won the long jump at the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) Championships, qualifying for the ASA Track and Field National Championships in Pretoria.
“At the SA Schools Championships, she finished fifth overall; there was strong wind at the venue, which hampered her performance; later that day, the wind destroyed part of the stadium.
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“At the ASA National Championships, she won all of her qualifying heats and failed to win a medal in the final heat, although she did take bronze in long jump,” said Sibeko.
Ashlynn said she is always working hard to improve and balance both athletics and academics.
“For the past two years, I have probably been the best long jumper in my age category at CGA. The objective is to compete in the NWU Schools Top 30 athletics event in Potchefstroom in October.
“The performance there will determine how prepared we are for the African Games and the World Athletics U20 Championships. We will also prepare for the next Olympics in 2028,” said Ashlynn.
