Gauteng North once again shows its strength in cross country at Covid-influenced national championships
Despite fewer participants in this year's national cross-country championships, Gauteng North still dominated the event by winning more than a third of the medals.
Gauteng North’s Cross-Country Team walked away with more than a third of all medals at the South African Cross-Country Championships in Amanzimtoti last week.
Despite a Covid disrupted season and despite the fact that certain age groups could not participate in the championship due to Covid protocols, Gauteng North’s participants – especially the younger athletes – still carried the province’s flag successfully and 33 of the 90 available medals were won by athletes from this proud province.
Among the junior age groups (u.8 to u.17) there were only a few age categories where not a single medal was won by an athlete from Gauteng North. However, the results show that in several categories in this junior division, athletes from Gauteng North won at least two – and in one case (girls u.14) even all three – the medals.
The championship was held over two days, with Day one dedicated to the youngest category of 8-13 years, who provided a colourful start, while the 14-49 years rounded off the two-day event.
In the senior 10km races only one Gauteng North athlete, Reghen Magwai, managed to finish among the top three. He was second in the men’s division and brought home the silver medal.
In the u.23 age group for women, the well-known Simonay Weitsz from Gauteng North was first over the finish line.
Christopher Swart (bronze) in the senior men’s division, went home with a bronze medal.
After difficult times with all the Covid-restrictions, James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa said that he was glad to see Athletics was a winner again with the success of the event.
“We had a wonderful turnout of athletes within the national regulations. It was quite exciting to watch the young athletes in the ages 8 to 13 in the race of their lives,” he concluded at the end of the last day.
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