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Glenrose Xaba crowned as SA Cross Country champion

The ASA Cross Country Championships were presented in Rustenburg last weekend and Gauteng North's athletes performed very well as usual.

September 22, 2022
Pretoria Rekord 1 minute read
Glenrose Xaba was the winner of the women's 10 km competition. Photo: Cecilia van Bers

Glenrose Xaba from Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) lived up to the hype on Saturday and as the pre-race favorite she delivered in style to win the national senior women’s title at the ASA Cross Country Championships in Rustenburg.

Competing on a challenging course at the Bergsig Academy sports grounds, which included some makeshift climbs and a few sharp turns, Xaba had to put up a fight against Cacisile Sosibo, who produced a brave effort against her more esteemed compatriot.

Karabo Motsoeneng from Prestige College won the Junior Women’S 6km race in 19:43.

Xaba eventually managed to shake off the challenge from Sosibo in the second half, breaking away to secure the win for Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) in 32:43. Sosibo grabbed the silver medal for CGA in 33:54 and defending champion Kesa Molotsane settled for third place (35:08) in the colours of Athletics Free State (AFS).

Over the shorter 4km distances, Caster Semenya (AGN) had no trouble in the senior women’s race, while Kabelo Melamu earned the senior men’s crown.

In one of the day’s most exciting races, Kabela Melamu won the men’s 4 km race for CGA in 10:07 after winning a late sprint. He narrowly beat out Modupi Tladi (AGN), who had the same time but finished in second place.
Photo: Cecilia van Bers

Semenya won gold in 11:52 for the AGN squad, with the rest of the field struggling to put up a fight against the three-time 800m world champion. She finished well clear of provincial teammate Simonay Weitsz, who secured the silver medal in 12:21.

Caster Semenya easily defeated Simonay Weitsz, her teammate from the AGN province, in the senior women’s 4 km race. Semenya won the gold in 11:52.
Photo: Cecilia van Bers

In the men’s event, Melamu snatched gold for CGA in 10:07, winning a late sprint in one of the most thrilling contests of the day. He narrowly managed to hold off Modupi Tladi (AGN) who was credited with the same time in second position.

With the ASA Cross Country Championships incorporating races across all age groups, some rising junior stars stuck up their hands by displaying their form ahead of the World Cross Country Championships to be held in Bathurst, Australia in February.

Reatlegile Mosweu won gold in the junior men’s (U20) 8km race for CGA in 23:25, and Karabo Motsoeneng (AGN) won the junior women’s 6km race in 19:43.

 

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September 22, 2022
Pretoria Rekord 1 minute read

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Koos Venter

Koos Venter is an experienced journalist who started his career 35 years ago, before the days of cellphones, modern computer systems, the internet and digital cameras, as a correspondent for Nexus, the former national magazine of the Department of Correctional Services. He has since worked for various other publications in all aspects of news coverage, as a columnist and in the production side of newspapers and online publications. Since 2007 he has specialized as a sports writer, while he is also regularly used as an analyst and commentator by several radio stations.
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