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Local young athletes excel at Commonwealth Youth Games

Young athletics stars from Pretoria were responsible for six of the eight medals won by the South African team at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago last week.

August 14, 2023
Koos Venter 1 minute read
Hencu Lamberts, a grade 11 pupil at the Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria won the shot put event at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago with a new record distance. Photo: Roger Sedres

South Africa’s team, which participated in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago last week, finished fourth overall on the medal table.

Several of these achievers come from Pretoria and most of them are still at school.

The South African team won twenty medals for their country during the games. Seven of them are gold, six are silver and another seven are bronze.

No less than eight of these medals were won in track and field athletics items. Six of the eight medals were brought home by local athletes from Pretoria.

Alicia Khunou from Menlopark High School won two gold medals at last week’s Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, while also setting a new record in the shot put.
Photo: Roger Sedres

The South African team’s biggest star was Alicia Khunou, from Hoërskool Menlopark. This young field athlete won two gold medals, when she was triumphant in both the shot put and discus events.

Khunou also set a new Commonwealth Youth Games record with her winning effort in the shot put (17.97m). Her winning distance in the discus was 49.53m.

Hencu Lamberts, a grade 11 pupil at the Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria in action at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
Photo: Roger Sedres

The other Pretoria athlete who boasts a new Commonwealth Youth Games record is Hencu Lamberts, a grade 11 pupil at the Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria.

Lamberts’ enormous winning effort of 20.17m in the shot put not only bettered the previous record, but he beat his nearest rival, Robert Deal of the Bahamas (15.99m) by an astonishing 4.18m.

Prestige College in Hammanskraal’s star athlete, Tumi Ramokgopa, won two bronze medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
Photo: Roger Sedres

This young giant from Affies also won a silver medal in the discus event with his throw of 53.00 meters.

Prestige College from Hammanskraal’s pride, Tumi Ramokgopa, is the other local athlete who brought home two medals for South Africa.

Ramokgopa won two bronze medals in the hurdles events. Her time in the 100m was 13.53s and in the 400m hurdles she recorded a time of 1:00.63s for third place.

Colleen Scheepers from Menlopark did reach the final of the 400m, but unfortunately could not win a medal. She finished in sixth place.

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August 14, 2023
Koos Venter 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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