Glenrose Xaba is the latest among five SA athletes to unavail themselves for the World Championships marathon.
With Glenrose Xaba confirming her unavailability for the World Athletics Championships, South Africa will have only one athlete competing in the marathon in Tokyo next month, despite having six qualified runners.
After winning the Hollywoodbets 10km race in Durban on Sunday, clocking an impressive time of 31:34 on a flat course in ideal conditions (just 22 seconds outside her own national record), Xaba revealed that she would not line up at the global showpiece in the Japanese capital which starts in two weeks.
Initially, Xaba had planned to compete in the half-marathon at the World Road Running Championships in California at the end of September, and she had hoped to qualify in either the 5 000m or 10 000m events on the track for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
However, the United States withdrew as hosts of the road running showpiece, and the event was cancelled, while Xaba was unable to qualify for the track and field showpiece over shorter distances.
Having sat down with her coach, Violet Semenya, and her agent, Lee-Roy Newton, they opted to focus instead on trying to get her into an international marathon later this year where she could challenge her national 42km record of 2:22:22.
“I can’t run a marathon with such a short period of preparation because I need to build enough endurance,” Xaba said.
“You can’t go to a marathon with 30km (training runs). You need a full programme with two 40km sessions in your body and more runs between 35-38km.”
Gelant to carry SA flag in Tokyo
With Xaba confirming she will not line up, this means South Africa will have no representation in the women’s marathon in Tokyo, despite having three qualifiers in the event.
Gerda Steyn will be running the Cape Town Marathon in October and Cian Oldknow is on the road back from injury.
And while three SA men have qualified for the global showpiece in the 42km event, only national record holder Elroy Gelant will be in the field.
Adam Lipschitz and Stephen Mokoka, who both qualified on ranking, have reportedly opted to compete at the Cape Town Marathon.
Though Gelant has also been confirmed in the field for the Cape Town race, he will compete in both the World Championships race and the nation’s most prestigious 42km contest in the Mother City.
Fast times in Durban
Xaba was superb at the Hollywoodbets 10km race in Durban at the weekend, finishing 10 seconds clear of Soweto Marathon champion Neheng Khatala of Lesotho, who took second place in the women’s race in 31:44. Kenyan athlete Fridah Ndinda was third in 33:05.
In the men’s race, 19-year-old Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho broke clear in the early stages and hung on to win in 27:58.
Kabelo Mulaudzi was the first SA athlete home in 28:01, showcasing his form ahead of his title defence at the national cross country championships to be held in Middelburg next week, and Thabang Mosiako took third place in 28:03.
