The North-West University has been crowned the USSA Athletics champions for the fifth time in a row after taking the top spot at the 2021 USSA Athletics Championships at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) from 13 to 15 May.
The NWU Eagles took home 13 gold, 10 silver and 11 bronze medals for a tally of 34 awards.
Their closest rivals, UJ, could only muster 24 medals but had one more gold medal than Tuks, which took third place with 24 top three placings. Marga Cumming was one of the stars for the NWU in the women’s hammer throw, setting a new SA and USSA record with a stunning throw of 64.42 metres.
Tiaan Kleynhans (110 m hurdles), Mpho Links (high jump) and Ryan Williams (discus) also broke USSA records. At a team level, the 4X100 m women, (Christin Fox, Sheré Janse van Rensburg, Nicola van der Merwe, Ané Rautenbach), 4 x 400 m women (Carla Hattingh, Nicola Gibbon, Lente Pieterse, Ané Rautenbach) and 4 x 400 m men (Evander Kasimbingue, Dillan van Rooyen, Pieter Conradie and Zak Nene) broke USSA records.
Photos: Trevlyn Palframan
Medals: Gold: Zak Nene: 400 m – 45.03 (USSA record)
Tiaan Kleynhans: 110 mH – 13.60 (USSA record)
Mpho Links: High Jump – 2.25 m (USSA record)
Ryan Williams: Discus – 55.07 m (USSA record)
Alan Cumming: Hammer – 70.89 m
Johann Grobler: Javelin – 76.40 m
Michelle Ngozo: High jump – 1.80 m
Marga Cumming: Hammer – 64.42 m (USSA/SA record)
Jo-Ané van Dyk: Javelin – 56.78 m
Marissa Swanepoel: 10,000 m walk – 53:31.38
4 x 100 m women: (Christin Fox, Sheré Janse van Rensburg, Nicola vd Merwe, Ané Rautenbach) 45.27 (USSA record)
4 x 400 m women: (Carla Hattingh, Nicola Gibbon, Lente Pieterse, Ané Rautenbach) 3:42.42 (USSA record)
4 x 400 m men: (Evander Kasimbingue, Dillan van Rooyen, Pieter Conradie, Zak Nene) 3:07.05 USSA record.
Silver:
Chederick van Wyk: 100 m – 10.24
Arend Pretorius: Pole vault – 4.60 m
Ignatius Marais: Discus – 52.33 m
Carel Haasbroek: Hammer – 68.67 m
Werner Dames: Javelin – 65.65 m
Antonio Farmer: 10,000 m walk – 48:04.66
Nicola van der Merwe: 100 m – 11.76
Ané Rautenbach: 200 m – 23.58
Nadja Fourie: Pole vault – 3.00 m
Annette Koen: 10,000 m walk – 55:10.38.
Bronze:
Mojela Koneshe: 100 m – 10.30
Dillan van Rooyen: 800 m – 1:48.87
Luan Munnik: 1,500 m – 3:47.49
Sheré Janse van Rensburg: 200 m – 23.85
Lente Pieterse: 400 m – 54.71
Inge van der Merwe: 100 mH – 13.95
Jeané Minnaar: High jump – 1.70 m
Riëtte Heyns: Discus – 53.20 m
Phethisang Makhethe: Hammer – 56.03 m
Clarissa Weyer: Javelin – 49.01
Meanri Erasmus: 10,000 m walk – 1:01:12.00
Karissa van Wyk: Long jump – 6.03 m (NWU Eagles B). 
