Local star wins and sets new SA indoor record in the 60m hurdles in Luxembourg
Judging by the excellent performance that athletics star, Marione Fourie, delivered in the short hurdles event in Europe this past weekend, a very good local season could await her.
South African 100m hurdles champion Marione Fourie made it clear in Luxembourg on Sunday what her intentions are for 2025. It is to be fast and it will excite many athletics fans.
She broke the South African indoor record in the 60m hurdles with her winning time of 7.91 seconds in the heats. She won the final in a time of 7.98 seconds. Both her times are faster than the previous record of 8.17 seconds set by Rikenette Steenkamp in 2020. Last year, Fourie broke the South African record in the 100m hurdles to 12.49 seconds.
It is interesting to note that Fourie is currently the second fastest athlete in the 60m hurdles in the world. Masai Russell of the USA recently ran 7.89 seconds in Texas.
With her times, she qualified for the World Indoor Championships (21-23 March) in Nanjing, China.
According to Jaun Strydom, her coach at Tuks, he is not too surprised that Fourie is already running so fast so early in the season.
Photo: Reg Caldecott
“The times that Marione ran during training indicated she was ready to run a big race. I must confess that I was a little worried on the morning of the race. Marione complained that she felt nauseous. She also did not want to eat anything, and there was a moment when she thought about withdrawing. But it was only a moment. When we left for the track, she was entirely focused. As they say, she was in the zone,” Strydom said after the race.
Strydom ascribes speedy heroics to her being very disciplined and focused.
“What helps is that Marione utterly trusts me as her coach. She is also very driven. She wants to be one of the best. It helps that she has ‘big match temperament’. She is not allowing herself to be intimidated by her opponents’ reputations. All that matters to her is to execute each to near perfection,” he remarked.
According to Strydom, there is a good reason why it was decided that Fourie should compete indoors.
“We are looking for that edge to ensure that Marione is fast enough in Tokyo in September to qualify for the final round of the 100m hurdles during the World Championships in Tokyo. By running indoors, she gets the chance to focus on the first 60 meters of the race. She competes tomorrow in Denmark,” he explained.
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