After being dropped halfway through the 10km race, Selam Gebre held on to take the runner-up spot.
Glenrose Xaba leads Selam Gebre during the Grand Prix women’s race in Centurion. Picture: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images
Defending series champion Glenrose Xaba picked up her first win of the 2026 Spar Grand Prix series, coasting to an impressive victory at the third leg of the campaign in Tshwane on Saturday.
Xaba, who took second place behind Tayla Kavanagh at the opening leg of the series in Cape Town and missed the second race in Durban due to international commitments, produced a dominant performance in Centurion in the absence of Kavanagh (who competed on the track at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this week).
Ethiopian athlete Selam Gebre stuck to her like a shadow throughout the first half, but Xaba slammed down the hammer shortly after the 5km mark and opened a massive gap to cross the finish line at SuperSport Park in 32:28. She took one second off the course record of 32:29 which was set by Namibian athlete Helalia Johannes in 2022.
Gaba ran negative splits with a storming finish, completing the second half 31 seconds faster than the first half.
“I’m training for the half-marathon at the World Road Running Championships (in Copenhagen in September), and the race went according to plan,” Xaba said.
“Coming into the race, my strategy was to run very fast to get bonus points, and I was very happy to be back in Tshwane and running the SPAR race in Durban. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.”
Gebre holds off Jacobs
Behind Xaba, Gebre held on to take second place in 34:10, and Kyla Jacobs launched a powerful kick in the closing stages to claim third position in 34:21, with both athletes securing their second podium finishes of the series and picking up bonus points for dipping under 34:40.
While Gebre was pleased with her result, she admitted she had struggled with the high altitude, as well as the traditional late starting time of the Tshwane race, which was held in the afternoon.
“The race today was very tough and intense, if I’m honest. The start time was different to what we’re used to, and the elevation kind of caught up with me and I couldn’t breathe at certain points. So it was tough, but I had to push myself as best I could and I’m glad I came second,” Gebre said.
Jacobs said she preferred the later start, and the Cape Town-based athlete was delighted with her performance.
“It’s always great to be here for the Tshwane race because this is actually where my running career started, so I’m really proud and happy to be on the podium today,” Jacobs said.
“It was a great race. I tried to run conservatively and was able to just pick the field up from the back, so I was happy with how I executed it.”
