Gauteng North wins most titles at SA 50km race walk championships
As in most other athletics codes, Gauteng North also dominated the 50km South African Race Walk Championship this weekend.
Host province Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) dominated the ASA 50km Race Walk Championships on Saturday, securing the men’s and women’s titles at the University of Pretoria.
Defending champion Mthunzi Mnisi led the charge in the open men’s event, earning his fifth successive national title.
Mnisi produced a largely solo effort, overcoming the warm conditions as he coasted to a convincing victory in 4:53:40, with Aaron Mahlangu of KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) earning the silver medal in 5:00:53.
“Aaron tried to push the pace from the start, so the first 10km was a bit challenging but I stayed focussed. It was tough, especially when I reached 25km because I was alone by then, but I decided to just go for it. It means a lot to me to win my fifth title. I’m really grateful,” said Mnisi after the race.
In the women’s 50km race, Sandra Steenkamp (AGN) dipped under six hours to take the win in 5:58:49. She finished well clear of Fundiswa Sandi (Western Province Athletics) who took second place in 6:16:43.
With the event also hosting inter-provincial races across a variety of age groups and distances, Wayne Snyman closed out an impressive domestic season by taking the men’s 20km race in 1:29:51.
National record holder Lebogang Shange grabbed second position in 1:32:03.
In the women’s 20km contest, Zelda Schultz was more than four minutes clear of her nearest opponent, winning the race in 1:48:01.
Marissa Swanepoel, who is still at school at Hoërskool Waterkloof, won the women’s u20 (Junior) age group.
This remarkable young athlete was awarded as the Best female Race Walker of 2019 by AGN at their recent Annual Awards Ceremony.
The President of Athletics South Africa, Aleck Skhosana, said Saturday’s event marked the formal end to the season and he congratulated all the walkers for closing the ASA 2019 calendar on a very high note.
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