31 Oct WPA mens Team Shines at SA national 10km Champs
Western Province Athletics (WPA) Anthony Timotheus put in a brilliant performance at the inaugural Absa Durban 10K CITYRUN incorporating the ASA 10km National Championships in Ethekwini on Sunday 31 October in near perfect conditions.
The 26-year-old from Bellville South coached by Glen Bentley from UWC ran a blistering 28.46 to help his WPA teamates to a bronze medal in the senior mens team competition. The WPA mens team consisted of Nadeel Wildscutt, Thomas Struis, Keaton Lott and
Andre Afrika.
According to Bentley it was great that WPA selected a full team to represent the province at the SA National Champs.
“Its important for the respective commissions to work together when selecting athletes across disciplines. The fact that the boys managed to win the team bronze medal, coupled with Anthony Timoteus’s 7th overall, certainly improved the confidence of the entire team. This gives them hope that they can be competitive nationally and internationally. It’s important to note that the boys also won a team medal at the cross country championships.
Bentley believes their sterling perormances gives hope to up and coming young athletes who look up to them.
“WPA should focus on developing more coaches, in particular female coaches. A stronger focus on females must be encouraged and possibly incentivised,” said Bentley.
“An opportunity was perhaps missed to offer coaching courses and webinars like many other sports did during the covid period. Ongoing coaches education is important so that all coaches remain up to date with the latest knowledge.
“In order to prepare for such major competitions, there is a need for regular training camps and tap into high performance resources offered by tertiary institutions,” added Bently.
Precious ‘Machine’ Mashele and home girl, Tayla Kavanagh was crowned the national 10km champions in the male and female categories.
Mashele defended his National title in fine style and Kavanagh made a big breakthrough with her win, claiming the National title in only her first year as a senior A=athlete. In the build-up to the Absa Durban 10K CITYRUN, all the talk was of a tactical race, but the athletes had other ideas.
With Covid 19 regulations in place, the women’s elite field of 75 athletes got underway first at 06h00 just outside the Kings Park Swimming Pool on the two lap 5km course. Kavanagh was immediately in the front of the bunch driving the pace.
The 20-year-old was running only her fourth race of the season and was the favourite after her 32:51 run in Gqeberha on 9 October, and she duly lived up to that name. She led the early charge and took all the favourites with her, including Glenrose Xaba, the defending champion, current SA Cross Country Champion, Kesa Molotsane, stalwart and Olympian, Irvette van Zyl and Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala. But by 6km, the relentless drive of Kavanagh had dropped all but Molotsane and Khatala, before Molotsane too succumbed to Kavanagh’s relentless onslaught.
With less than 1km to go, even the experienced, Khatala was unable to keep up with the young legs of Kavanagh who came flying home in a massive personal best time of 32:10.
Kavanagh’s relentless pace saw three athletes dragged under 33 minutes, Khatala finishing second in 32:18 and Molotsane in third with a time of 32:51. Fourth across the line was Glenrose Xaba with a time of 33:32. Molotsane and Xaba were the silver and bronze medallists respectively in the National Championships, as second place Khatala hails from Lesotho and is thus not eligible for National Titles in South Africa.
“It was a great race for me,” said Kavanagh after her win.
“Winning the National Title at the Absa Durban 10K CITYRUN, is a big honour for me.” Kavanagh was not in the least fazed by her favourite mantle. “I just ran my own race. I was under strict instructions from my coach and the plan worked out perfectly.”
The men’s race saw drama from the gun as CGA’s Maxine Chaumeton stole a march on the pack and immediately opened up a gap of around 20meters. Chaumeton was hauled in by 5km, but his early pace ensured that the race was not going to be a tactical one as 5km went by 14:06 and a potential sub 28min race was on the cards. With 3km to go there was only Stephen Mokoka who had won the last Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN held here in Durban in 2019, the defending National 10km Champion, Precious Mashele, a resurgent Collen Mulaudzi, Maxine Chaumeton and Regan Magwai.
At exactly the 9km mark, Mashele put in a surge that only Mokoka could respond to, but even he had to give way to the strength and speed of Mashele who claimed his second victory of the year over Mokoka and went on to win in a new Personal Best time of 28:11. Mokoka finished second (28.15) with Collen Mulaudzi announcing his return to form finishing third (28.26).
“I am happy to have retained my National title and win the Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN”, said a smiling Mashele after the race. “It has been a difficult year for all of us, but for me this has still been a good year and after today, I am in good shape for the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN and am looking forward to running there. We know they are bringing out the best so I am excited to see how I can do there.”
“It’s been a very beautiful day of coastal running,” said James Moloi the President of Athletics South Africa. “We have new champions and a bright future of this beautiful 10k which forms part of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series. One sees road running as a celebration of an athlete’s training. In many instances when you are running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the field, or last, because there is a lot more satisfaction in saying I have finished. Races are won or lost at key moments. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever giving up, which is what we witnessed today.
“Success in athletics is about enduring suffering. It’s about being willing to try your best and not giving up when you have a bad day, because in competition you win some and you lose some. Congratulations to the winners Precious Mashele and Tayla Kavanagh. We also congratulate their coaches, provinces and support staff for the day’s success. We also take the opportunity to thank the host province KwaZulu-Natal Athletics, sponsors Absa and the rest of the organisers for a successful outcome.”
“It was an absolute pleasure welcoming runners to the start line in Durban today ready to #RunTheirCity,” said Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the RUN YOUR CITY Series. “We firmly believe that the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series will continue to set the standard for international level events in Africa, welcoming not only thousands of runners across South Africa to the starting line but also world class athletes from around the world hoping to break records on African soil. Now we prepare to paint the streets of Cape Town red on Sunday 21 November 2021 at one of the Mother’s City’s most iconic mass participating road run events, the Absa CAPE TOWN 12K CITYRUN.”
RESULTS: 2021 Absa DURBAN 10K CITYRUN
Date: Sunday 31 October 2021
TOP 10 MEN
1 Precioius Mashele 00:28:11, 2 Stephen Mokoka 00:28:15, 3 Collen Mulaudzi 00:28:26, 4 Reghen Magwai 00:28:29, 5 Maxime Chaumeton 00:28:30, 6 Sibusiso Kubheka 00:28:39, 7 Anthony Timoteus 00:28:46, 8 Adam Lipschitz 00:28:47, 9 Sipho Mbanjwa 00:28:50, 10 Nicolas Seoposengwe 00:28:56
TOP 10 WOMEN
1 Tayla Kavanagh 00:32:10, 2 Neheng Khatala 00:32:18, 3 Kesa Molotsane 00:32:51, 4 Glenrose Xaba 00:33:32, 5 Irvette van Zyl 00:33:39, 6 Cian Oldknow 00:33:48, 7 Cacisile Sosibo 00:33:53, 8 Jenet Mbhele 00:34:40, 9 Nicole van der Merwe 00:35:32, 10 Gene Coetzee 00:35:41
