Only a few seconds and metres stood between success and failure at the NWU McArthur Stadium last Saturday, 26 July.

Some of SA’s top athletes tried their best to keep their Tokyo Olympic Games chances alive, but no athlete could reach the Olympic mark during the open event hosted by Athletics Central North West (ACNW).

Photos: Wouter Pienaar

The event created one of the last-chance opportunities for local athletes to stake a claim for an Olympic Games spot in Tokyo. It was not to be, though, as no athlete reached the qualifying standard. Former 2012 London Olympics silver medalist in the 800 m, Nijel Amos, almost reached the qualifying target of 1:45:20, missing out by 0.06 seconds. Nevertheless, according to ACNW president, Jean Verster, Amos should still qualify due to his spot in the world rankings.

Other athletes, like the former Olympic silver medalist in the javelin at Rio 2016, Sunette Viljoen failed to reach the qualifying distance of 64 metres, only throwing a best distance of 57.56. NWU javelin athlete, Johann Grobler, also tried to reach the mark but could not go past the 80-metre mark with a top throw of 78.34 metres.

Another SA record holder, who failed to reach the qualifying benchmark on Saturday was the 110-metre hurdler, Rikenette Steenkamp. She needed a time of 12.84 but could only manage 13.67. Verster was pleased that the athletes had an opportunity to qualify and was impressed by the quality of the competition. “The wind also played a role in the times, but we cannot bargain with that; overall, we are happy with the event. It was our job to give the athletes a platform and an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. I think we did our job there,” he said.

“There were some really good results and the athletes did their best, despite the conditions. Even though the athletes could not reach the Olympic standard, they still put on great performances,” he added.