Corné de Fouw marked his return to competitive running in impressive fashion, securing a bronze medal (third place) at the Athletics South Africa Cross Country Championships held at Curro Hazeldean on September 5.

The achievement comes less than a year after he returned from the United States following an injury that disrupted his promising running career.

Competing in a highly competitive men’s U23 4km race against some of the country’s top athletes in his age group, De Fouw was the first Central Gauteng Athletics runner to cross the finish line, clocking 00:12:04 to secure third place.

His bronze medal was a significant achievement following what had been a challenging period in his career. In August 2024, De Fouw was awarded a four-year scholarship to the University of New Mexico, where he had the opportunity to train and compete in Albuquerque.

During his time in the US, he represented South Africa at various cross-country and track events, gaining valuable international experience.

However, his progress was brought to a halt in December 2025 when he suffered an injury after competing in the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships.

The injury persisted for several months, eventually forcing him to return home. His recovery was not only physically demanding but also took a toll on him mentally as he worked to find his way back to competitive running.

“I felt like I did my best, but I know I should have done better in the middle part of the race and not allowed the other runners to create a gap,” he said.

Going into the race, De Fouw was confident that he could secure a podium finish, although he knew he would have to work hard to achieve it.

During the obstacle section in the middle of the race, he began falling behind some of the runners and had to dig deep to close the gap and secure his place on the podium.

“I did expect to finish on the podium. However, I did have to fight very hard for my spot. I have been preparing for this race for a couple of months and have mainly been doing a lot of foundational work because this time of the year is about building a big base for me,” he said.

With the cross-country season behind him, De Fouw has already set his sights on his next goal. He hopes to run a new personal best at the Boxer 5km race in Durban later in October while remaining consistent with his training as he prepares for the 2027 track season.

“My advice to other athletes would be to be consistent and focus mostly on yourself. Don’t look too much at other athletes and what they are doing,” he said.