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Magakwe on SA Record quest

Simon Magakwe - SA's new Sprint Sensation

Simon Magakwe - SA's new Sprint Sensation

The Central North West athlete Simon Magakwe, is getting closer to breaking the SA 100m record after equalling Johan Rossouw’s 24-year-old record at the SA Student Championships in Johannesburg on Friday 27 April, clocking 10.06sec in the semi-final.

“If the weather is good then I will go for a fast time. I have a good feeling about breaking the record,” said Magakwe ahead of the SA Open Championships taking place in Pretoria from 4-5 May.  Just before the semi-final at the Championships over the weekend, Eugene Thipe (Magakwe’s coach) told him the weather was favourable and to run for the SA Record.  They expected a fast time.

To date, Magakwe remains the only athlete that has reached the Olympic Qualifying A-standard time in the 100m. The SA Open Championships will be the last official event left in South Africa to reach the A-standard time. Athletes such as Hannes Dreyer (AGN), Roscoe Engel (WPA), Waide Jooste (CGA), Leigh Julius and Sergio Mullins (EPA), as well as Magakwe, will be some of the familiar faces to line up in the men’s 100m.

Dreyer came close to the 10.18sec qualifying time after clocking a personal best of 10.23sec at the SA Student Championships on 27 April.  Even Roscoe Engel’s 10.20sec at the SA Senior Championships in Port Elizabeth is not far from the time required. The SA Open Championships will provide both these athletes another opportunity to qualify.

International athletes from Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland and Zambia will line up in the 100m in their bid to qualify for the Olympics.  The heats of the 100m for men will take place at 10:25 on Friday, 4 May.

The programme for the SA Open Championships at Pilditch Stadium commences at 09:30 on 4 May with the last event for the day starting at 15:30.  Proceedings for the final day (5 May) will be from 09:30 – 16:00.

Tickets are available from www.itickets.co.za, priced at R25 for adults and R15 for children. Tickets can also be purchased telephonically on 086 1000 291 or at the gate.

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