Javelin thrower Jo-Ane du Plessis will compete in the final starting at 2.05pm on Saturday afternoon.
South Africa have only a few more chances to end their eight-year medal drought at the World Athletics Championships, with three more realistic hopes remaining over the final two days of competition in Tokyo.
Heading into the late session on the penultimate day of action in the Japanese capital on Saturday, podium hopes rested on javelin thrower Jo-Ane de Plessis and the national relay squads.
However, though Olympic silver medallist Du Plessis had been consistent on the international circuit this season, she was 10th overall in the qualifying round on Friday, producing a best throw of 61.38m – nearly three metres short of her personal best – from her three attempts.
But she felt she could go bigger in the final, starting at 2.05pm on Saturday, as she went in search of South Africa’s first medal at the World Championships since 2017.
“I think my rhythm was not as it should be. I think I was a little bit too far, then too close, and I was not separating,” Du Plessis said after the qualifying round.
“So if I can be in charge of my rhythm and do that better, I’ll hopefully be able to fix it tomorrow.”
Sprint relay prospects
Meanwhile, two SA relay teams looked to be in with a chance for medals over the weekend.
The national men’s 4x100m and 4x400m squads both won gold at the World Athletics Relays earlier this year, and while they were facing stronger opposition in Tokyo, they were among the podium contenders.
No SA sprinters earned medals in their individual events at the World Championships over the last week, but 100m runners Gift Leotlela and Akani Simbine, 200m sprinter Sinesipho Dambile and 400m specialist Zakithi Nene all reached the finals, while Wayde van Niekerk (200m) and Lythe Pillay (400m) reached the semifinals. This displayed real depth, particularly ahead of the 4x100m relay.
The SA women’s 4x400m team showed promise by securing bronze at the World Athletics Relays earlier this season, but their overall form in Tokyo did not offer much in terms of confidence for analysts and fans, and they were unlikely to challenge for a medal.
Should they progress beyond the heats on Saturday afternoon, the relay teams were set to return to the track for the finals on Sunday.
