Zakithi Nene watched the Diamond League 400m race in China yesterday afternoon and then stormed out to capture the South African crown in an even quicker time.
And that wasn’t the only highlight among the men’s sprinters at the national championships in Potchefstroom, with Sinesipho Dambile reclaiming his national 200m crown as he led his two closest rivals under the 20.16sec world championship qualifying mark.
Local sprinting is overflowing with talent.
Dambile, 23, crossed the line in 20.11 for his second automatic world championship qualifying time in a fortnight, with the Western Province duo of 17-year-old Naeem Jack and Abdurahman Karriem also putting their hands up for the global showpiece in Tokyo in September.
Bayanda Walaza, disqualified for a false start yesterday, achieved his 20.08 best last month, meaning at least four men are battling for three spots in Japan.
It’s identical in the 100m, won on Thursday by Gift Leotlela ahead of Walaza and Benji Richardson.
The fourth contender, Akani Simbine, took the 100m at the opening Diamond League meet in Xiamen yesterday, clocking 9.99, as he destroyed Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala, 60m world indoor champion Jeremiah Azu of Britain and American Christian Coleman.
Much has been said about who’ll make the team and who won’t, but the Athletics South Africa criteria suggest that nobody is guaranteed a spot yet. It’ll probably come down to form in the final run-in to the Japan showpiece.
Nene, 27, catapulted himself to second on the all-time South African list behind Wayde van Niekerk as he clocked 44.22, three-hundredths quicker than the 44.25 winning time in China. “I watched the Diamond League race. More than anything, I just wanted to respond to the performances the guys put out,” said Nene, the only men’s 400m qualifier so far.
Dambile missed the funeral in King William’s Town of his uncle — a man he said he was closer to than his own father — to chase victory here. “I wasn’t feeling 100% coming here ... but I had a conversation with them earlier and I told them: ‘Yo, listen, at one o’clock, just make sure all of you guys watch my race’,” said Dambile.
“I’m confident that at home they definitely helped me with the [win].”
Two 17-year-olds bagged senior titles yesterday.
Rume Burger, daughter of former Blitzboks star Philip and netballer Marinda, landed the women’s 200m in 23.49, and Tumi Ramokgopa took the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.55 in the absence of Marioné Fourie, who finished third in Xiamen in a 12.62 season’s best.
Sprinting and hurdling aren’t the only local disciplines on the up.
World indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso helped pull Charné Swart-Du Plessis to a qualifying time in the women’s 800m. Sekgodiso won in 1min 58.80sec with fifth-year medical student Swart-Du Plessis just behind in 1:58.98.
A few hours later they finished one-two in the women’s 1,500m.
In the biggest shock of the championships Maxime Chaumeton stunned Adriaan Wildschutt to claim the men’s 5,000m mantle.
To date 18 South Africans have achieved automatic qualifying times — nine sprinters, three hurdlers, three 800m runners, two distance runners and one field competitor.
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