SA Triple Jump Record

 SA Triple Jump Record falls at Yellow Pages Interprovincial

Charlene Potgieter

The first Yellow Pages Interprovincial in Germiston on Saturday 25 February saw one National record broken, one World Junior Championships qualifier and one World Indoor Championships qualifier.

Charlene Potgieter broke the SA Record in the women’s triple jump with a leap of 13.61m. Potgieter opened with the new SA Record and after a foul in the second round, promptly repeated the performance in the 3rd round. Both were legal jumps with the wind measuring 1.2m/sec on the first jump and 1.0m/sec on the second attempt.

The 26 year-old Gauteng North athlete missed the SA Record at the SA Championships in Durban (April 2011) by a mere 2 centimetres, but on Saturday in Germiston she was able to brake Charmain Barnard’s 10 year old record (13.46m Bloemfontein 10/04/1992). “I have gone further in my practice sessions, but it is more difficult finding rhythm in competitions,” said the new record holder after the competition.

Patience Ntshingila (CNW) finished second with Matsi Dikotla (GN) in third; their distances measured at 13.34m and 13.27m respectively.

Africa Junior Champion Kayla Gilbert (CGA) caused an upset in the women’s 100m hurdles as she won in a World Junior Championship qualifying time of 13.81sec ahead of Gauteng Norths Erika Kleinhans (14.14sec) and SA Champion Claudia Viljoen. The SA Champion hit a hurdle midway through the race and linped to the finish line and then needed to be assisted off the track.

Wenda Theron continued her unbeaten streak in the 400m hurdles after she crossed the line in 57.78sec.  Theron finished ahead of Anneri Ebersohn and Jean-Mare Senekal, who crossed the line in 59.39sec and 60.18sec.

Overall winner in the women’s 400m was Tsholofelo Thipe who has last been seen on the track in 2009. The former SA Champion made a welcome return to the track winning her heat in 52.75sec. With 18 athletes entered in the 400m, three heats were held. Thipe winning the second ahead of Rorisang Rammonye (53.01sec), Janet Lawless (BOL) the second in 55.85sec and Wenda Theron the third heat in 54.18sec.

It was a classic gun to tape victory for Mapaseka Makhanya in the women’s 800m. Makhanya crossed the line in 2:05.35, worth 1061 points for Central Gauteng’s. Anuschka Nice stayed on Makhanya’s shoulder from the gun and tried to pass in the home-straight, but Makhanya hung on for the victory. Both Nice and Mandie Brandt competed for USSA; their times 2:05.57 and 2:06.70 respectively.

Another surprise victory was in the women’s 1500m where Maxine Heine-Wacker (CG) defeated Lebogang Phalula (CG).  Heine-Wacker crossed the line in 4:24.77.  Phalula finished 2nd in 4:25.18 followed by Nolene Conrad in 4:33.01.

Phalula had taken the lead early on in the race in her typical front running fashion. Phalula had a lead of around 20m when she took the bell, but Heine-Wacker gradually reeled her in and passed her in the home-straight with 30m to go.

Zarck Visser (CG) produced a massive personal best in the men’s long jump edging closer to the 8m mark.  In the absence of Luvo Manyonga, Visser led from the opening round with a jump of 7.66m.  Visser sealed his victory with a massive leap of 7.96m on his second attempt to improve by 11cm on his previous best of 7.85m (Stellenbosch, 29 April 2011).  Boland athlete Roelf Pienaar finished second with his best at 7.61m followed by Keenan Watson’s (WP) 7.60m.

Victory in the 100m women’s race did not go to one of the favourites.  In a very close race Cherese Jones (GN) finished ahead of teammate Carina Horn. It required a photofinish to split Horn and Jones. The win given to, Jones in 11.79sec.  Horn’s time was 11.81sec.  Melissa Hewitt (CNW) finished 3rd in 11.85sec.

The same applied in the men’s 100m where Kagiso Kumbane (FS) won in 10.27sec.  Gideon Trotter (also FS) finished 2nd with a new personal best time of 10.29sec, his previous best of 10.36sec run in Germiston on 2 April 2011.  Roscoe Engel, Thuso Mpuang Sergio Mullins and Waide Jooste followed in 10.34sec, 10.35sec, and 10.45sec for both Mullins and Jooste respectively

The German World record holder in the women’s hammer throw Betty Heidler produced a 72.29m throw in her 2nd attempt to win the women’s hammer throw.  Her compatriot Mareike Nannen finished 2nd with an attempt of 60.48m.