Two generations claim gold

A KUSWAG netball star and her grandmother both won gold at separate national events this year.

Megan, who turns 18 in September, won gold with the KZN field netball team, while Lien Botha (68) won gold at the over 60 SA 10km champs in Durban. Both are members of Run For Life Toti.

This year Megan made the KZN U18 field and action netball teams. She also made the cut to represent her country at the Tri-Nations as part of the SA U18 SA women’s team to take on Australia and England in Fourways from 20 to 29 September.

“I’m very excited to represent SA while I’m still in matric,” said Megan. “I will play with the best players in the country.”

Megan is the only pupil in her school to represent her province in four sporting codes – field and action netball, athletics and cross-country. She was part of the KZN cross-country team for 10 years. “I stopped athletics and cross-country last year to focus on netball. I still train to keep fit for netball.”

In June Megan made history as KZN were crowned SA champs for the first time after her team beat Gauteng in the final of the SA inter-provincial all ages field netball tournament in Margate. She also helped her province win silver at an inter-provincial field netball tournament in Cape Town in April. She was part of the KZN athletics team in 2010 for her prowess in the 800m and finished in the top 15 to help KZN win silver at the SA cross-country champs in Rustenburg.

In the same year she won gold at the SA games as part of the U19 team, even though she was only 15. Her talent was spotted by a Free State University coach who tracked her achievements and has now come forward with an offer for a sports bursary. She has also been approached with an offer from the University of the North-West.

At 68-years of age Lien, who lives in Margate, is constantly improving her times. “I only started running in 2005,” she said. “My son and Megan’s father Johan, who is a running coach, got me started and I loved it from the beginning. I think experience plays a big part in my improvement.”

At the SA champs in Durban, Lien ran the 10km in 47.00 and beat the younger runners in the 60 to 64-year-old category.

Earlier this year she claimed a silver medal at the over 60 SA marathon champs in Oudtshoorn. Of eight Spar races she has competed in from 2006 to 2013, she has won her age group category seven times and finished second once.

She featured in the Sun last year after she won her age group category in two half-marathons in Kansas City, USA, while visiting her son Deon.

In 2010 Lien won her age group category at the Two Oceans Marathon. The following year she earned a Comrades bronze medal (nine-hours to sub 11 hours). At the halfway stage, she was on par for a sub nine-hour time. In the same year she beat Johan during a Comrades-qualifying marathon in Verulam.

In 2007 she won the SA cross-country champs in Witbank. “I don’t even like cross-country. I only ran because Megan was running,” she said.