Six of the country’s medal-winning athletes at World Relays are under the age of 21.
With a long list of world-class young sprinters emerging from South Africa, Athletics SA high performance manager Hezekiel Sepeng has credited development at schools level for the seemingly endless promising young speedsters being produced in this country.
Of the 14 South African athletes who earned medals at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou last week, having competed in either heats or finals for the nation’s three medal-winning squads, six of them are under the age of 21.
They include Leendert Koekemoer (who turned 18 on Thursday), Bayanda Walaza (19), Udeme Okon (19), Bradley Nkoana, Precious Molepo and Hannah van Niekerk (all 20).
Two of the athletes – Okon and Koekemoer – are still in high school, while Walaza is still competing in the junior age group.
“I was told by a coach in Europe that we are a factory for sprinters and I was asked where we get these athletes,” Sepeng said on Wednesday after the SA team returned home from the World Relays championship.
“Our schools athletics programmes which are being run, and the Track+Field high school series which provides opportunities for athletes in rural areas, are examples of the programmes that feed our system.
“Now we have athletes like Walaza and Koekemoer who are inspiring the young ones, so I think the future looks good for us.”
Experienced athletes provide motivation
However, while the future looked bright, Sepeng said it was a process, and he felt it was equally important to have experienced athletes performing well at international level for younger athletes to look up to.
The likes of Walaza, who ran the first leg of the men’s 4x100m relay in Guangzhou, and Koekemoer, who ran a spectacular third leg of the men’s 4x400m final to give the national team the lead, were particularly impressive at the global showpiece.
However, experienced campaigners Akani Simbine and Zakithi Nene ran phenomenal anchor legs to lead the SA squads to gold medals in both events, and if it wasn’t for them, South Africa might not have achieved as much as they did.
Zeney Geldenhuys and Miranda Coetzee also played key roles in carrying the women’s 4x400m team to the bronze medal.
“We wouldn’t survive without the experienced athletes,” said Sepeng, a former Olympic 800m medallist.
“The likes of Akani (Simbine), Zakithi (Nene), Zeney (Geldenhuys) and Miranda (Coetzee) are the athletes we are depending on when it comes to experience and motivating the younger ones.”
