World Youth Championships
With the World Youth Championships in France less than a month away everybody has been waiting in anticipation for the team announcement. Over the past months athletes have been trying hard to perform in order to get one of the most coveted spots, and a chance to represent South Africa. The team consists of 36 of the best athletes that have proved their abilities over numerous competitions.
Boys
24 boys qualified for the World Champs in a wide variety of events, just proving that we really have a lot of young talent in South Africa.
Amongst the 100m sprinters athletes such as Bradley Brits and Sergeal Peterson will compete in the 100m. Bradley (ranked number 7 in the world) ran the 100m in 10.62sec during the Southern Region Youth Championships in Namibia, but has dipped under that when he ran 10.51sec in Germiston. Sergeal finished in 10.82sec but have also done a 10.55sec finish before. Sergeal’s inclusion in the team however is subject to his fitness levels, which is not guaranteed yet.
200m qualifiers include Hendrick Khumalo and Fana Mofokeng after their performances this season. Hendrick ran a personal best in Namibia, ensuring that his 21.30sec (21.25sec in the prelims) made him a good choice for the team. Fana crossed the line in 21.84sec but ran 21.65sec earlier this year in Germiston.
Pieter Conradie (Gauteng North) and Lorenzo Adams (Boland) will represent South Africa in the 400m. Both had consistent performances in Namibia and finished more than a second ahead of their biggest competitors. Pieter is ranked number 8 in the world.
The best athletes in the world come from South Africa in the 110m hurdles as Andries van der Merwe and Tiaan Smit proved. Both improved their personal bests during the Southern Region Youth Champs when they finished in 13.39sec and 13.41sec respectively. Andries is top ranked in the world while Tiaan is the number 2 110m hurdles runner.
400m hurdle runner Tiaan Mouton holds the number 1 spot in the world and will defend his title in France. His best time was run in the Paarl in March this year (51.24sec) but came second to Constant Pretorius in Namibia. Constant is currently ranked 4th in the world with the 51.94sec he achieved in Germiston in March.
The number 1 and 2 in the world will be clever if they work together in France to fend off the predators together. As the number 1 in the world Katleo Dyoyi will definitely want to run even better than his 5.48.10 that he recorded in Paarl in March. Just underneath the top spot is Jacob Tseko, number two in the world. Jacob recorded his best time (5:48.11) in Paarl as well. With times as close as this between the two, the 2000m steeplechase will definitely be an event worth looking out for.
After his extraordinary performance in Namibia, discus athlete Jan-Louw Kotze will definitely want to get close to that mark again. The top ranked discus thrower sent he disc flying to 64.79m, exceeding everybody’s greatest expectations, breaking a 20 year the old record (63.46m) set by Frits Potgieter in the process. The record however still awaits ratification and has not been recognized officially. Gerhard de Beer (number 3 in the world) also achieved his best ever performance at the Youth Champs with 59.74m.
Willem van Schalkwyk and Brandon Prinsloo will represent the team in the high jump. Both have already jumped 2.10m this season and will definitely have an opportunity in France to improve on this.
Morne Moolman is ranked top in his class on the javelin world rankings list and after his massive 81.37m in Namibia all eyes will be on this talented athlete as distances like these don’t get recorded every day. Morne broke the record of Robert Oosthuizen by a whole 30cm and still awaits ratification. Reinhardt van Zyl’s best of 71.75m in Germiston in April ensured him a spot in the team.
In the long jump Duwayne Boer will possibly have Armand Bam to join him in France if declared fit. Duwayne jumped 7.36m in Pretoria in February and won in Namibia when he jumped 7.23m. Armand qualified for the team with with his
Triple jump athletes Albert Janki and Sabelo Ndlovu have both proven that they should be in the team by jumping 15.50m and 15.47m at the SA Champs respectively.
Ruan Combrinck is the only one in the team to reach the qualifying standards in shot put after his 19.63m attempt in Germiston during the SA Championships. Number 5 in the world Lloyd Greef will be participating in the Octathlon.
Girls
Liezl Hechter from Central North West came second in Namibia when she finished in 12sec, just behind Phillipa van der Merwe. Phillipa in turn proved herself as the first ever athlete from the North Western Cape to win a medal at an SA Championship and also thrashed her competition in Namibia when she crossed the finish line in 11.82sec. Both qualified for the World Champs in the 100m after great performances.
The 400m athlete Stephanie Wicksell is the daughter of Ilse and Ray Wicksell. Ilse was the first athlete to ever break 2 minutes in the women’s 800m and still holds the SA Record for the 1000m. Ray represented the USA at the Olympics in the 5000m.
Stephanie definitely has the potential to achieve great things and already showed a bit of her potential when she ran 54.90sec in Bellville this year. Mareike Wolhunter has been included and her best this year so far is 56.35sec, also ran in Bellville.
Also in the team in the Girls 400m is Stephanie Wicksell. Stephanie is blessed with the genes to be a really good athlete, as her mother was the first female to break the 2 minute barrier in the 800m and still holds the SA Record for the 1000m. Father Ray has raced with the likes of Sydney Maree and Steve Cram. Stephanie qualified with her 54.90sec run in Bellville. In Namibia at the Southern Region Youth Championships she clocked 55.81sec for the bronze medal. Stephanie will be joined by Mareike Wolhunter who recorded 56.35sec in Bellville this year. She finished in 4th position behind Stephanie in Namibia with her56.85sec.
As an 800m athlete Thato Makhafola is the only athlete in the whole team that reached the qualifying standards for inclusion. Thato finished in 2:08.66 in Durban in April.
In the hurdle events 3 athletes will participate. Izelle Neuhoff (59.03sec) and Marina Swanepoel (60.82sec) both qualified in the 400m hurdles while Maryke Brits will participate in the 100m hurdles as well as the long jump. Maryke remains the only athlete in the team who qualified for more than one event. During the SA Championships Maryke finished the 100m hurdles in 13.82sec and her best in the long jump stands at 5.96m during the SA Senior Champs in Durban.
Janet Seelinger will also participate in the long jump having jumped 5.89m this year. Somari Els gave it her all and threw a new personal best in Namibia during the Youth Champs when her discus crept over the 44m mark to reach 44.09m.
BOYS
1 Bradley Britz 100m
2 Sergeal Petersen (subject to fitness) 100m
3 Andries van der Merwe 110m H
4 Tiaan Smit 110m H
5 Jacob Tseko 2000m SC
6 Katleo Dyoyi 2000m SC
7 Khumalo Hendrick 200m
8 Fana Mofokeng 200m
9 Pieter Conradie 400m
10 Lorenzo Adams 400m
11 Constant Pretorius 400m H
12 Tiaan Mouton 400m H
13 Jan-Louw Kotze Discus
14 Gerhard de Beer Discus
15 Willem van Schalkwyk High Jump
16 Brandon Prinsloo High Jump
17 Reinhardt van Zyl Javelin
18 Morne Moolman Javelin
19 Duwayne Boer Long Jump
20 Ruan Combrinck Shot Put
21 Albert Janki Triple Jump
22 Sabelo Ndlovu Triple Jump
23 Armond Bam (subject to fitness) Long Jump
24 Lloyd Greef Octathlon
GIRLS
1 Phillipa Van der Merwe 100m
2 Liezl Hechter 100m
3 Lezaan Jordaan Shot Put
4 Cecile Meyer Shot Put
5 Thato Makhafola 800m
6 Stephanie Wicksell 400m
7 Mareike Wolhuter 400m
8 Izelle Neuhoff 400m H
9 Maryke Brits Long Jump, 100mH
10 Janet Seeliger Long Jump
11 Marina Swanepoel 400m H
12 Somari Els Discus
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