Athletics Africa Magazine

(l-r) Gift Leotlela and Clarence Munyai during day 2 of the South African National Junior Championships at Greenpoint Track on April 08, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Roger Sedres/ImageSA) Sprinter Gift Leotlela and middle-distance runner Simonay Weitsz were the top performers on Saturday, bringing to a close the ASA Junior and Youth Championships in style at Green Point Athletics Stadium, Cape Town . Leotlela stormed to a Personal Best in the Junior Men's 200m final, in the absence of national record holder Clarence Munyai, to charge across the line in 20.28 seconds. Munyai withdrew from the podium race as a precaution ahead of the ASA Senior Track & Field and Combined Events Championships in Potchefstroom on 20-22 April, after picking up a muscle strain in the semi-finals, leaving Leotlela as favourite. "I went out hard because I told myself to go hard the whole race," said Leotlela, the SA 100m record holder in his age group. "I remained r...

Cara Du Preez of Athletics Central North West in the women's U18 2000m steeplechase during day 1 of the South African National Junior Championships at Green Point Athletics stadium on April 07, 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Roger Sedres/ImageSA) The country's top elite prospects battled strong winds on Friday, as the ASA Junior and Youth Championships got under way at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town . Shanley Koekemoer got the annual showpiece off to a spectacular start by setting a national best in the Youth Girls' 2 000m Steeplechase in the second track event of the morning. In a hard-fought battle against Cara du Preez and Lethabo Makgoga, Koekemoer won the five-lap race in 6:42.68. Du Preez settled for second place in 6:45.17, with Makgoga edged into third spot in 6:45.89. Later, in cool conditions of the evening track session, Thembo Monareng charged to victory in the Junior Men's 100m final. In the absence of defending cha...