SA athletes bring home 22 medals from championships
A Potchefstroom runner, who was among the participants in a prestigious athletics competition in Ghana, was crowned the African champion.
The 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships was a golden event for South African athletes, who racked up 22 medals in Accra, Ghana from May 12 – 17, reports Potchefstroom Herald.
This included a total of nine gold, four silver and nine bronze medals, reports Potchefstroom Herald.
The NWU’s Luan Munnik took a superb first place in the 1500m to be crowned African champion. He beat his countryman, Tshepo Tshite, by 0.12 seconds in a tight race. This was a historic achievement for Munnik, who claimed the first-ever 1500m title for South Africa in this event, which had previously been dominated by the East African nation of Kenya.
Other NWU athletes who came home with gold were Rogail Joseph, who took first place in a time of 54.74 in the women’s 400m hurdles, and Valco van Wyk, who won the men’s pole vault with a height of 5.40 metres.
The NWU’s Bradley Nkoana took silver in the men’s 100m sprint in 10.32 seconds in a tight race. Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme took gold in 10.26 seconds.
Other locals who performed superbly were Richardt Stander (discus throw) and Douw Smit (javelin), who both brought back bronze medals. Smit threw his javelin 76 metres, but it was not enough to beat former Olympic silver medallist Julius Yego of Kenya, who won gold with a throw of 79.87 metres. This was Yego’s sixth African title. Stander threw his discus 56.13 metres. Former NWU athlete and Namibian international, Ryan Williams took gold with a heave of 57.45 metres.
Munnik, Van Wyk and Smit are all Potch Track Club athletes.
South African medallists:
Gold Medallists
- Karabo More – 1500m Women
- Luan Munnik – 1500m Men
- Rogail Joseph – 400m Hurdles Women
- Christy Snyman – High Jump Women
- Luvo Manyonga – Long Jump Men
- Valco van Wyk – Pole Vault Men
- Ansume de Beer – Pole Vault Women
- Aiden Smith – Shot Put Men
- Colette Uys – Shot Put Women
Silver Medallists
- Bradley Nkoana – 100m Men
- Tshepo Tshite – 1500m Men
- Mateo le Roux – High Jump Men
- Enya Pooler – Heptathlon Women
Bronze Medallists
- Mihlali Xhotyeni – 200m Men
- Wernich van Rensburg – 400m Hurdles Men
- Morne van As – Decathlon Men
- Richardt Stander – Discus Throw Men
- Tshepang Makhethe – Hammer Throw Men
- Leandri Holtzhausen – Hammer Throw Women
- Douw Smit – Javelin Men
- Jana van Schalkwyk – Javelin Throw Women
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