Adriaan Wildschutt finished 10th in a slow 10,000m final.
There was disappointment for experienced sprinter Akani Simbine, as he missed out on a World Athletics Championships medal again, though compatriot Gift Leotlela managed to close out his comeback season with a solid performance in the men’s 100m final in Tokyo.
Having struggled with injuries in recent years, Leotlela bounced back to win the national title earlier this year.
And he took another big step forward on Saturday, winning his first-round heat in the Japanese capital in 9.87 seconds and slicing 0.08 off his four-year-old personal best.
Returning to the track for the final on Sunday, he held on for fifth position, crossing the line in 9.95 in a race which was won by Jamaican athlete Oblique Seville in 9.77.
No luck for Simbine
Simbine did well to reach his seventh 100m final at a major global championship, but a medal in an individual event continued to elude him at the back end of what has been a stellar career.
The SA record holder completed the race in seventh position in 10.04, taking last place after Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo was disqualified for a false start.
Though they missed out on the podium, Leotlela and Simbine made history, with South Africa being represented by two athletes in a World Championships 100m final for the first time.
Both sprinters will return to the track later this week for the men’s 4x100m relay as the national squad look to step on the podium again after securing the silver medal at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Wildschutt ends 10th in slow race
Earlier on Sunday, on day two of the global showpiece, national record holder Adriaan Wildschutt settled for 10th position in a bizarre 10,000m final.
With nobody willing to take up the pace in the early stages of the men’s 25-lap race, the field jogged around the track for the first few laps, and while they eventually began to wind things up a bit, it was a pedestrian race.
Plenty of athletes were able to stay in contention due to the slow pace, which was probably a result of athletes being reluctant to push too hard in the humid conditions, it came down to a sprint for the line.
Wildschutt completed the race in 28:59.47, with French athlete Jimmy Gressier taking the win in 28:55.77.
In a blanket finish, the top five athletes finished within one second of each other.
