Kavanagh set a personal best 31:33, with Xaba finishing just five seconds off the pace.
Tayla Kavanagh delivered a stunning performance on Sunday, earning her first victory in a Spar Grand Prix race at the opening leg of this year’s 10km women’s road running series in Cape Town.
Kavanagh held on to the back of defending series champion Glenrose Xaba for most of the race before launching a furious kick in the closing stages to snatch the win.
The 24-year-old athlete completed the contest in 31:33, chopping eight seconds off her personal best (31:41) set in Cape Town in October last year. She was just 21 seconds outside the national 10km record (31:12) held by Xaba.
Xaba was five seconds off the pace, crossing the finish line in 31:38, while Kyla Jacobs took a big step forward in her comeback to elite competition (after having her first child last year) by taking third place in a career best 32:16.
‘A good battle’
Kavanagh was all smiles after handing Xaba a rare defeat and taking the early lead in the Spar Grand Prix series.
“We had a good battle out there. The race went really well and I’m happy to walk away with a personal best today,” Kavanagh said afterwards.
“It was a good, honest race between me and Glenrose. I love racing against her and we put in a good, hard effort out there today, so all-round it was a great race.
“I’ve put in a lot of work in training, so I’m really proud of myself and the team around me, and I’m very blessed and grateful to walk away with the win.”
Support Local Journalism
Add The Citizen as a Preferred Source on Google and follow us on Google News to see more of our trusted reporting in Google News and Top Stories.
