Tshite smashes mile record, 5km record for Kavanagh
South African distance runners deliver standout displays and national records against world-class competition in Denmark.
Team South Africa, with experienced athletics and road running official Johanita Bester as team leader, performed excellently at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
She provided leadership, co-ordination, administrative support and overall team management during the championships.
Johanita and her husband Paul are Middelburg residents who dedicate their lives to athletics administration.
Record-breaking run for Kavanagh
The weekend’s best performance came from Tayla Kavanagh in the 5km race, where she secured a brilliant fourth place.
Kavanagh delivered an impressive performance, fighting all the way to the line, missing out on the bronze medal by just one second.
Kavanagh crossed the finish line in 14:51, setting a new SA women’s record.
SA champion Zanthe Taljaard completed the race in 32nd place in 16:11, achieving a personal best.
Likina Amebaw of Ethiopia won in 14:41, followed by Caroline Gitonga of Kenya (14:48) and Rose Davies of Australia (14:50).
With this performance, Kavanagh demonstrated that her victories on home soil were no fluke and that she is right at home among elite company.
Strong showing across middle distances
Another outstanding performance came from Maxime Chaumeton. The South African distance runner finished 10th in the 5km race with a time of 13:12.
Dawit Seare of Eritrea won in 12:56, with the more renowned Jakob Ingebrigtsen finishing second in a time of 12:59.
In the half-marathon, Elroy Gelant finished 87th with a time of 1:04:41.
The race was won by Andreas Almgren in 58:06.
The women’s half-marathon was won by Agnes Jebet in 1:05:15, with South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba finishing 13th in 1:07:49.
The winner of the women’s mile was Agathe Guillemot of France, with a time of 4:22.74. Karabo More of South Africa finished 15th in a personal best time of 4:33.27.
National record for Tshite
Tshepo Tshite finished 10th in the men’s mile in a new South African record of 3:55.66. Tshite now holds five South African records on the track and the road.
Robert Farken of Germany won the men’s road mile. He crossed the finish line in a world-leading time and national record of 3:51.80, overtaking the pre-race favourite Yared Nuguse of the United States in the final stretch.
