The excitement is reaching fever pitch for the hotly anticipated Hezekiel Sepeng Invitational Continental Tour Challenger which is set to take place on Tuesday, April 7 at the NWU McArthur Athletics Stadium in Potchefstroom.
A star-studded field of athletes will bring their world-class talent on display. This includes various SA Olympians such as Akani Simbine, Wayde van Niekerk, Jo-Ané van Dyk as well as international stars such as Jakub Vadlejch (javelin Olympic silver medallist), and Nikola Ogrodnikova (Olympic bronze medallist in javelin).
The 100m men’s dash will provide the perfect finale with Simbine, Van Niekerk, Benjamin Richardson and Retshidisitswe Mlenga clashing to see who is the fastest.
In the women’s 100m hurdles, the spotlight will fall on the record-breaking trio of Marion Fourie, the national record holder, Tumi Ramokgopa (U20 national record holder) and Megan Nieman (U18 national record holder).
The program will also feature strong contingent of local talent across disciplines, including athletes such as Sabelo Dhlamini, Rogail Joseph, Cheswill Johnson, Colette Uys and Miranda Coetzee.
Athletes from various countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Netherlands, Denmark, and Maldives, will participate.
Tickets are R 100 at the gate. Children under 10 enter for free.
Key match-ups to watch
• 100m Men: Akani Simbine vs Wayde van Niekerk and Benjamin Richardson
• 100m Women: Joviale Mbitsha vs Viwe Jingqi and Tamzin Gelant
• 400m Men: Ammar Ismail Yahia Ibrahim vs Antonie Nortje and Mthi Mthimkulu
• 400m Women: Miranda Coetzee vs Oratile Nowe and Marlie Viljoen
• 110m Hurdles Men: Franco Le Roux vs Antonio Alkana and Mondray Barnard
• 100m Hurdles Women: Tumi Ramokgopa vs Marion Fourie and Megan Nieman
• 400m Hurdles Men: Sabelo Dhlamini vs Kemorena Tisang and Wernich van Rensburg
• 800m Men: Kethobogile Haingura vs Tumo Nkape and Luan Munnik
• 800m Women: Prudence Sekgodiso vs Nancy Jepngetich and Aviwe Hoboloshe
• Javelin Throw Women: Jo-Ane du Plessis vs Nikola Ogrodnikova
• Long Jump Men: Lionel Coetzee vs Nikithemba Hani and Jovan van Vuuren
