Caster Semenya continued her build up to next month’s national championships by wining the 800m in the first Yellow Pages Interprovincial Challenge in Germiston on Saturday.
Semenya led from early on the first lap right through to the line where she recorded two minutes 1.77 seconds taking three seconds from her previous season’s best.
“This was part of my build up to Durban (SA Championships), “ said the World 800m Champion. “I hope to be at two minutes in Durban and then improve on that in Europe. What is needed is someone to take the first lap through in 60 seconds.”
Central Gauteng’s Mandie Brandt was a distant second in 2:06:28, with Juanne Cilliers from Central North West completing the podium in 2:06:88
Semenya went on to place second behind Tjipekora Herunga, (52.32), in the 400m where she improved her 53.36 second performance in the second Yellow Pages series to 52.54 seconds. This time equaled the top ranked time of 2010 by SA Champion Estie Wittstock.
Khotso Mokoena the World Silver Medalist long jumper, had the crowd behind him with every leap, the second of which went out to 8.17 metres. He followed with two more jumps over the eight-metre mark before calling it a day.
“I’m please with this and the consistency of jumping,” said Mokoena who will also compete in the Triple Jump at the SA championships. “I was around 20 centimetre behind the board, so there’s more to come.”
Towards the end of May Mokoena will head to Europe for a short spell on the circuit before returning for the final preparation to the World Championships.
After a false start on the first time of asking, Hannes Dreyer set the stadium alight by leading the 100m sprint from gun to line in 10.17 seconds, holding off National champion Simon Magakwe who was 0.7 seconds adrift. Dreyer’s performance was a 0.3 seconds improvement on his personal record and the ninth fastest time ever by a South African but was aided by a 2.1metre per second wind.
“Even with the wind I’m exceptionally pleased with this,” said the Gauteng north athlete of his first outing of the season. “I’ve taken a slower build up this year, with the SA Championships a step on the ladder to Europe. If you want to be the best you have to race the best and I want to get my qualifier (for world championships) this year.”
Dreyer confirmed his early season form securing the double by taking the 200m ahead of Thuso Mpuang in 20.88 against a 1.8m/s wind and shaving another 0.02 seconds from his best in 2010.
A surprise change of event by SA 400m hurdle record holder, L.J. van Zyl, brought the crowd to their feet when he blasted a lap of the track in 44.86 seconds, the fifth all time best by a South African.
“I went out hard. Ofentse (Mogawane) helped a lot running hard next to me, and then tried to move off the final bend,” said the Tukies athlete, who has promised so much on the World 400m hurdle stage but has so often just fallen short. “Everything has been going well this season. After the (SA) record in Pretoria we just had to watch the volume. I will only run the 400m hurdles at the championships.” Van Zyl is currently the only person with a claim to the R200,000 Yellow Pages Pot of Gold which is on offer to athletes who break a national record in the Yellow Pages events. On Saturday he missed a second claim by 0.27 seconds on Arnuad Malherbe’s one lap record of 44.59 seconds set in Roodepoort in 1999.
Wenda Theron ran a 56.24 for the 400m hurdles well clear of the competition from Jana Theron and improving on her personal best of 56.96, which was the top ranked time in 2010.
The Yellow Pages inter-provincial competition attracted over 250 athletes from six provinces and will have its second leg in Bellville Cape town on 16 April the weekend after the SA Senior Championships in Durban.
Results:
Men
100m Heat1 (wind-1.4) 1 Mosita Lehata IND 10.53, 2 Marvin Kamuingona 10.78, 3 Mackson Matlala MPU 10.97,
Heat 2 : (wind -0.3) Brent Stevens WPA 10.65, 2 Ruan de Vries AGN 10.67, 3 Tshegofatso Meshoe 10.71.
Heat 3 (wind 2.1) 1 Hannes Dreyer AGN 10.17, 2 Simon Magakwe CNW 10.24, 3 Thuso Mpuang AFS 10.42
400m
Heat 1 1 Richard Breukel CGA 47.61, 2 Winston Chinogwenya IND 48.17, 3 Tlou Seloba CGA 48.27
Heat 2 1 Thapelo Ketlogetswe CGA 46.57, 2 Gift Ngwenya WPA 47.42, 3 Rodwell Ndlovu WPA 48.18
Heat 3 1 LJ van Zyl AGN 44.86, 2 Willie de Beer USSA 45.68, 3 Jacques de Swart AGN 46.14, 4 Ofentse Mogwane 46.34
800m
Heat 1 Samson Ngoepe MPU 1:48.47, 2 Tlou Seloba CGA 1:49.35, 3 Folavio Sehohle MPU 1:49.98
Heat 2 1 Henk Beukes IND 1:50.31, 2 Donald Sedise NWN 1:51:41, 3 Hannes Naude AFS 1:53.20
1500m: 1 Jerry Motsau CNW 3:47.12, 2 Pharson Magagane USSA 3:48.31, 3 Isaac Mbuyazi CGA 3:49.17
110m Hurdle Ruan de Vries AGN 13.77, 2 Lehann Fourie AGN 13.78, 3 Kobus Moolman IND 14.45, 4 Emmanuel Papgis 14.66.
400m hurdles 1 P C Beneke AFS 50.91, 2 Hardus Maritz CNW 52.61, 3 Le Roux Hamman USSA 53.24, 4 Jurie Moolman IND 53.93
3000m Steeplechase; 1 Dean Brummer CNW 8:55.02, 2 Thumelo Motlagale CNW 8:57.05, Dikotsi Lekopa CNW 9:14.86
Long Jump: 1 Khotso Mokoena IND 8.17 (wind-1.0) 2 Roger Haitengi CGA 7.12, 3 Ramsay Carelse WPA 6.94, 4 Thumelo Thagane CNW 6.57
Triple Jump: Thumelo Thagane CNW 16.97, 2 Apelele Rasmeni USSA 16.13, Roger Haitengi CGA 15.85
High Jump: Ramsay Carelse WP 2.19, 2 Ruan Claasen IND 2.16, 3 JVA Steytler AFS 2.05
Pole Vault; 1 Cheyne Rahme CGA 5.43, 2 Eben Beukes IND 4.90, 3 Riaan Botha IND 4.90, 4 Heinrich Smit IND 4.70
Hammer: 1 Chris Harmse AFS 72.73, 2 Theann van Niekerk IND 52.09, 3 Ruan de Beer 50.20.
Discus: 1 Russel Tucker IND 55.67, 2 Jaco Engelbrecht CGA 55.32, 3 Dewald Moolman IND 53.54.
Shot put 1 Roelie Potgieter AGN 19.17, 2 Orazio Cremona AGN 18.50, 3 Jaco Engelbrecht CGA 18.37
Javelin; 1 Bernard Crous USSA 73.33, 2 Tobie Holtzhausen CNW 73.25, 3 Philmar J van Rensburg USSA 73.17, Jayson Henning CNW 70.15.
Women
100m
Heat 1 1 Claudia Viljoen AGN 11.87, 2 Asulet Potgieter AFS 12.15, 3 Rijane Swart CNW 12.33
Heat 2 Carina Horn AGN 11.46, 2 Thandie Vilakzi CGA 11.84, 3 Rorisang Ramonye CNW 11.89. 4 Globine Mayova IND 11.91
200m
heat 1 1 Rorisang Ramonye CNW 24.0, 2 Rijane Swart 24.9, 3 Shannen Naude WPA 25.5.
Heat 2: 1 Nombulelo Mkenku AFS 24.8, 2 Jana Theron CNW 25.1, Rikinette Steenkamp AGN 25.3
Heat 3: 1 Estie Wittstock AGN 23.5, 2 Carina Horn AGN 23.8, 3 Globine Mayova IND 24.2
400m
Heat 1 1Ropne Renecke NWN 55.98, 2 Lynette Morgan WPA 56.83, 3 Juanee Cilliers CNW 57.24, 4 Janine Pieters CNW 57.24
Heat 2 Tjipekora Herunga IND 52.32, 2 Caster Semenya AGN 52.54, 3 Alet van Wyk WPA 54.92, 4 Stephanie Wicksell AGN 54.93
800m 1 Caster Semenya AGN 2:01.77, 2 Mandsie Brandt CGA 2:06.28, 3 Juanee Cilliers CNW 2:06.88, 4 Anuscha Nice AGN 2:08.53, 5 Done Vermaak USSA 2:10.34
100m Hurdles 1 Claudia Viljoen AGN 13.58, Erika Kleynhans AGN 13.79, Asulet Potgieter AFS 14.16.
1500m 1 Rene Kalmer CGA 4:20.10, 2 Irvette van Blerk CGA 4:31.26, 3 Nolene Conrad 4:33.21, 4 Danel Prinsloo (Jun) AFS 4:39.24
400m Hurdles 1 Wenda Theron AGN 56.24, 2 Jana Theron CNW 60.44, Mariska Meintjies 61.42, 4 Claudine Els USSA 62.83
3000m steeplechase 1 Thebogo Masehla CGA 10:22.47, 2 Nolene Conrad CGA 10:39.38, 3 Christine Kalmer CGA 10:57.50
High Jump: 1 Selloane Tsoaeki IND 1.70, 2 Marcoleen Pretorius CNW 1.65, 3 Carina du Preez IND1.65
Triple Jump: 1 Charlene Potgeiter AGN 13.39, 2 Patience Ntshingila CNW 12.70, 3 Arline Muller CNW12.53
Hammer: 1 Nannette Stapelberg 52.78, 2 Marilize Coetzee WP 46.16, 3 Nadia Botha AFS 44.79.
Shot Put: 1 Sonia Smuts IND 14.61, Justine Robbeson CNW 13.21, 3 Yolandi Bothma IND 12.20
Discus: 1 Elizna Naude AGN 54.62, 2 Maryke Oberholzer AGN 47.71, 3 Sonia Smuts IND 41.09, 4 Nadia Botha AFS 34.09
Javelin: Justine Robbeson CNW 59.82, 2 Sunette Viljoen CNW 57.34, 3 Gerlize de Klerk 56.04, 4 Tazmin Brits USSA 48.19