The athletics season is set to start with a bang this Thursday, 14 March when top athletes arrived at the first leg of the ASA Grand Prix series/Continental Tour Challenger at the NWU McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom.

The preliminary events start at 15:00 with the main programme kicking off at 18:00. One of the main attractions is 200m sprinting sensation, Viwe Jingqi as well the 20-year old Benjamin Richardson, who will also look to set the track alight in the 200m.

400m hurdles specialists, Zeney Geldenhuys (nee Van der Walt) and Sokwakhana Zazini will also want to stamp their authority in 2024.

Visiting international stars will be aiming to dominate the men’s and women’s 800m races against some of SA’s top middle-distance runners.

Kethobogile Haingura of Botswana, who set a personal best of 1:45.53 in Tshwane earlier this month, and Yassine Hethat of Algeria, who holds a career best of 1:44.06, will turn out in the men’s two-lap race.

The women’s field features the likes of Finland’s Veera Mattila, who earned the silver medal at last season’s European u23 Championships, and Veronika Sadek, who won the Slovenian national indoor title last month.

Among the field events, Olympic silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic will be among the headline acts. Vadlejch, a three-time medallist at the World Athletics Championships, spearheads the entry list in the men’s javelin throw.

“The first leg at Potch officially kick-starts our national track and field season to which many of our athletes have been looking forward to,'” said James Moloi the President of Athletics South Africa. “With a quality continent of international athletes tge Grand Prix Series once again promises to be a blockbuster.”