The 2025 end-of-year high school athletics pre-season has now drawn to a close with a record-breaking BUCO Triple J Classic Athletics Meet held at Hoërskool Rob Ferreira on October 24.

This year marked the 14th hosting of the BUCO Triple J Classic, which was named after the school’s longest-serving principal, JJ Jansen van Rensburg, who was aptly nicknamed ‘Triple J’ around the school during his time as principal.

Held last Saturday, it was the largest-ever Triple J Classic with no fewer than 27 high schools, four primary schools and two athletics clubs represented by a total of 1 711 athletes. It was held on a warm summer’s day in the Lowveld with the heat pushing athletes to the limit to put their best times and distances on show. They did just that as no fewer than 24 new records were set on the day, which equates to 20.33% of the total items held.

ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Athletics preseason heats up during Helen Lemon Athletics Meeting

The fiercest battle for a new record was perhaps in the girls U19 100m in which each of the top three – Sonia Tivane of Rob Ferreira (third), Melissa Esteves of HTS Middelburg (second) and Tsidi Makgato of Hoërskool Hoogenhout (first) – ran a time that would have broken the previous record. Hoërskool Nelspruit emerged as the top school on the day, followed by Hoërskool Middelburg and hosts Rob Ferreira.

Hazel-Mari Bellingan of Hoërskool Secunda was named junior victrix ludorum, and Bernard Calitz of NHS the junior victor ludorum. Hoërskool Hoogenhout’s Tsidi Makgato was the senior victrix ludorum, while Sisanda Gama of Rob Ferreira was the senior victor ludorum.

The 2025 BUCO Triple J Classic was a fitting end to the athletics year as athletes now turn their focus to their studies and the end-of-year exams.