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OPINION: SA relay teams are Olympic contenders, if they’re at their best
Wenda Nel spearheads SA track and field charge
One-lap hurdler Wenda Nel led a full-strength South African onslaught in the World Challenge track and field series on Sunday night, securing a new personal best in her specialist event.
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Nel grabbed the win on the line in 54.82 seconds in Marrakech, with former American national champion Tiffany Williams recording the same time in second position.
After climbing to third place in the SA all-time 400m hurdles rankings with her previous personal best of 54.92 set in Pretoria in April, Nel inched a little closer to Myrtle Bothma (53.74 in Johannesburg in 1986) and Surita Febbraio (54.05 in Pretoria in 2003) with another superb run.
Sprinter Simon Magakwe was fourth in the men’s 200m event in 20.56 seconds and settled for seventh place in the 100m race in 10.24, while former world junior champion Khotso Mokoena ended a disappointing seventh in the men’s triple jump with a best leap of 16.17m.
Elsewhere, at the World Challenge meeting in Hengelo, Wayde van Niekerk won the men’s 400m in 45.07 seconds, just 0.15 seconds outside the career record he set at the national championships during the domestic season.
Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic was second in 45.19.
Cornel Fredericks finished third in the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.31 seconds, with training partner LJ van Zyl taking sixth place in 50.57.
Zarck Visser secured fourth spot in the men’s long jump with a second-round leap of 8.07m 18cm behind Greek victor Louis Tsatoumas and sprinter Akani Simbine was eliminated in the heats of the 100m event.
Simbine clocked 10.34 in his heat, missing out on a place in the final by 0.05 seconds.
In-form distance runner Elroy Gelant put up a strong challenge in the men’s 3 000m race.
Gelant was eighth in a close battle down the finishing straight, crossing the line just 3.03 seconds behind Kenyan winner Cornelius Kangogo in 7:44.20.
Caster Semenya was ninth in the women’s 800m race in a below-par 2:06.35 and Victor Hogan settled for 10th place in the men’s discus throw with a second-round heave of 61.49m.
Meanwhile, on the road, Mapaseka Makhanya was fourth at the Mattoni Cheske Budejovice Half Marathon in the Czech Republic in 1:15:52 on Saturday night, 17 seconds outside her personal best set in Cape Town in April.
Ethiopian Betelhem Moges won the women’s 21.1km race in 1:12:31.
– Sapa
