On February 21, Hoërskool Lydenburg’s sports fields were transformed into a spectacle of stellar athletics as the LSK Engineering Sonop Interhigh came to town for the first time, delivering top-class performances throughout the day.

Incredible! This is perhaps the best way to describe the event. Hosting the Sonop Interhigh for the first time, Lydenburg did so with distinction, ensuring athletes had every opportunity to shine on the track and field. The addition of the school’s brand-new tartan tracks at the long jump, high jump, and javelin areas further elevated the calibre of the competition.

Schools travelled from far and wide to participate, with Hoër Volkskool Heidelberg making the longest journey from Gauteng to continue its long-standing involvement in what was previously known as the Highveld Interhigh. Two debutants also joined this year: Hoërskool Ben Viljoen from Groblersdal and Hoërskool Bergvlam, the third Lowveld school in the event.

They competed alongside hosts Lydenburg, Hoërskool Rob Ferreira, HTS Witbank, Middelburg Hoërskool and Hoërskool Ermelo. Although light rain on Friday raised concerns about conditions, Saturday dawned bright with mild cloud cover, and the facilities were in prime condition for outstanding athletics.

The gees was tangible, with pavilions filled with cheering supporters and spirited cheer teams from Middelburg, Witbank, Ermelo and Lydenburg. Their songs and encouragement echoed across the venue and could even be heard at the golf club, pushing athletes to their limits.

The athletics lived up to the billing too and was worthy of every ounce of support. The competition proved one of the most evenly contested interhigh meetings in the province, arguably even surpassing the Lowveld Interhigh.

While Ermelo ultimately dominated the overall standings with 1 565 points, victories were widely shared throughout the day and anyone would have been hard-pressed to find consecutive events that were won by one school.

The gap to second-placed Lydenburg was 206.5 points, who finished on 1 358.5, making the home crowd proud through their top performance. Thereafter the contest was extremely tight as the points difference between Lydenburg and sixth-placed HTS Witbank (1 178.5) was only 180 points, a very clear indicator of how tense a contest it really was.

Middelburg (1 326) finished third, followed by Rob Ferreira (1 300), Heidelberg (1 184) and HTS Witbank (1 178.5). Ben Viljoen placed seventh on 811 points and Bergvlam eighth on 623. Lydenburg claimed the boys’ title, while Ermelo took top honours in the girls’ competition. Individual awards were also broadly distributed, with athletes from seven of the eight schools receiving trophies.

No fewer than 11 records fell, the bulk of which belonged to Middelburg athletes. The Middies broke some spectacular records, but the standout performance came from U16 javelin athlete Jessica de Witt, who improved the record from 44.84m to 50.48m, earning the day’s highest tally of 980 ASA points.

The junior victrix ludorum title went to Tianay Smit of HTS Witbank, the junior victor ludorum to Bonga Tau of Middelburg, the senior victrix ludorum to Megan Kruger of Middelburg, and the senior victor ludorum to Ben Viljoen’s Marnu Hancke.

Overall, Lydenburg delivered a memorable showcase of athletics excellence. The upcoming BUCO Lowveld Interhigh will have much to live up to for the Lowveld schools that competed in the LSK Engeneering Sonop Interhigh.

Overall medal table:

Individual award winners:
Sprints: 

• Best junior girl – Margole Marx (Ermelo)
• Best junior boy – Trevor Sindana (Middelburg)
• Best senior girl – Lizé van der Merwe (Ermelo)
• Best senior boy – Clint Malwane (Middelburg)

Long distance: 

• Best junior girl – Tianay Smit (HTS Witbank)
• Best junior boy – Koos Msiza (HTS Witbank)
• Best senior girl – Aletha Kloppers (Ermelo)
• Best senior boy – Owethu Kunene (Rob Ferreira)

Hurdles: 

• Best junior girl – Corlia Greyling (Heidelberg)
• Best junior boy – Bonga Tau (Middelburg)
• Best senior girl – Liané Cilliers (Ermelo)
• Best senior boy – Lufuno Bulwana (Bergvlam)

Throws: 

• Best junior girl – Hayley Fourie (Middelburg)
• Best junior boy – Hano Grobler (Middelburg)
• Best senior girl – Jessica de Witt (Middelburg)
• Best senior boy – Marnu Hancke (Ben Viljoen)

Jumps: 

• Best junior girl – Madison Webb (Heidelberg)
• Best junior boy – Thokozani Kachelenga (Middelburg)
• Best senior girl – Robyn de Klerk (HTS Witbank)
• Best senior boy – Lefa Lebelo (Middelburg).