Mamatu makes history in Switzerland by becoming the second fastest SA woman ever
A local emerging sprinting star has at last realized her potential by recording a world-class time in the 100m in Europe this past weekend.
By winning the 100m in 11.04s during the 40th Resisprint Meeting in La Chaux, Switzerland this past weekend, the South African sprint champion, Tebogo Mamatu, proved that perseverance does pay off.
Her time is the second fastest ever by a South African female sprinter. Only Carina Horn, who ran 10.98s in Doha last year, is faster.
The time Mamatu ran in Switzerland was best by a South African woman in the current athletics season. Horn improved her season’s best time last week running 11.16s in France.
Mamatu acknowledged to being shocked about her performance.
“At the moment I don’t have the words to describe how it feels to at long last run the race I knew I could. One moment I am happy. The next I am wondering whether it is me that ran 11.04s. It has not sunk in what I have achieved,” explained an elated Mamatu.
According to her she ‘blasted’ her start and on reaching her top end speed never relented.
“I don’t think I ever fought so hard not to slag down for a millisecond,” she said.
Her coach, Hennie Kriel, praised Mamatu fighting spirit saying that lesser athletes might have given up on their dreams. For years it has been predicted that the Tuks sprinter has what it takes to establish herself as an international sprinter, but somehow she always struggled to run that one perfect race.
It certainly was not due to a lack of trying. Mamatu’s biggest frustration was getting injured at crucial times, leading to her spending more times than she wanted in a doctor’s consulting room or on a physiotherapist table bed. Somehow she found the inner strength never to get disheartened by the continuous setbacks but rather to remain focussed on the ‘glass being half full rather than half empty’.
Her often spontaneous laugh during Kriel’ Grigora Training Group’s sessions at the Tuks athletics track has become Mamatu’s trademark with which she inspired other athletes to realise perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.
At the start of the season, she felt that for the first time in four years, there was no need to worry about any injury and that motivated her.
“It makes a difference being 100% fit. In the past, it was a case of just when I felt like I am getting into to shape I got injured. Mostly it was hamstring injuries that set me back. That is a big handicap because it means after you had recovered, you got to start the process of regaining your fitness and speed all over,” Mamatu explained.
Prove of her indomitable spirit is that over the last four years she is one of few athletes to have managed to keep on getting faster. In 2015 she ran 11.88s. In 2016 het best was 11.44s and in 2017 se improved to 11.34s. Last year she cut another few seconds to 11.27s. And now after her 11.04s she can start dreaming of sub 11 seconds.
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