Two of Potchefstroom’s top athletes, Chederick van Wyk (NWU) and Pieter Conradie (Potch Track Club) showcased their speed on the world stage with sterling performances at the 2019 IAAF World Relays in Yokohama, Japan.
Van Wyk and his compatriots in the 4×200 m final, Simon Magakwe, Sinesipho Dambile and Akani Simbine, took home a silver medal for South Africa with a new African record time of 1:20.42.
Earlier, in the first heat, the quartet of Jon Seeliger, Anaso Jobodwana, Dambile and Van Wyk clocked a time of 1:20.64 to smash a 17-year-old African record, set by Marcus la Grange, Mathew Quinn, Josef van der Linde and Paul Gorries in 2002. “It was a great experience and we could’ve taken the gold as well.
It was just great to be in the same team as all the big guns in SA athletics. My goal was to break the African record and, as a team, we achieved that, even though we struggled with injuries,” added Van Wyk.
In the men’s 4×400 m final, Pieter Conradie, Gardeo Isaacs, Ranti Dikgale and Ashley Hlungwani took sixth place in 3:05.32, to secure a spot at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar in September this year. Earlier, the same quartet clocked a time of 3:02.77 in their heat.
“It was an amazing event and we ran a great time in the heat. We did really well in the final and it’s a blessing to qualify for the World Champs later this year,” said Conradie, who ran the third leg in the heat and the second leg in the final.
