Three athletes from Potch Track Club recently made the town and their nation proud with top performances at the 2026 World Cross-Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida (USA).
Andrea Steynberg, Luan Munnik and Christopher Swart competed against the world best, which included, East African powerhouses from Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda.
Steynberg, a former Gimmies learner, finished in 34th place out of 66 athletes in a time of 21:23 in the women’s u/20 6km race. Marta Alemayo of Ethiopia took first in a time of 18:52, with fellow Ethiopian, Wosane Asefa in second place (19:18) and Charity Cherop of Uganda in third (19:19).
Munnik and Swart with Carina Viljoen and Karabo More flew the SA flag in 4x2km senior mixed relay and claimed a sixth place overall in 23:04. At one stage the South Africans were in the hunt for a podium spot after a strong start.
Australia’s quartet consisting of Oliver Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey and Jessica Hull took first place in 22:23. France took second and Ethiopia third.
A highlight for South Africa was Adrian Wildschutt 13th place finished in the senior men’s race. He completed the 10km race in 29:32 to achieve the highest ever finish for a South African.
