Sprinters are the main feature on busy first day at world champs for Team SA
LAYING the foundation for what promises to be a record-breaking World Championships, South Africa will be looking for a safe passage to tomorrow’s finals.
As they aim for their best potential medal haul at the biennial showpiece, South Africa would have to improve on the 2003 World Championship tally of two golds, a silver, and a bronze.
No fewer than seven athletes will open South Africa’s account today on the first day of the championships.
Distance ace Stephen Mokoka will be the first South African to challenge for a medal in the men’s 10 000m final in the last event of the evening.
Rio Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya will make her maiden voyage in the 1 500m at this level.
For her baptism of fire, Semenya has drawn defending champion Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia and will be looking to finish in the top six of her heat to progress to the semi-final.
In long jump qualifying, the country’s trio of Luvo Manyonga, Ruswahl Samaai and Zarck Visser will be targeting leaps of over 8.05m and should all feature in tomorrow’s long jump final.
Going into the championships with the 2017 world-leading jump of 8.65m, Manyonga will spearhead the attack while Samaai is the second ranked long-jumper this year with his personal best of 8.49m.
Appearing at his third championships, discus thrower Victor Hogan will be looking to go better than his fifth-place finish from Moscow 2013.
SA 100m record-holder Akani Simbine and rising star Thando Roto will back into the blocks with hopes of booking a place in the semi-final and final in the most anticipated event at the championships.
With only three more 100m races left before Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt’s retirement, the two South Africans will be running for a starring role in what promises to be an epic final.
Speaking ahead of today’s 100m heats, Rio Olympic finalist Simbine said while he had proven that he is a sub-10 second athlete it was time to win medals at major championships. “I know if I can run sub-10 on a bad day then it works out for me, it’s just small things that need to be adjusted, and when those things are right, the big jump will come,” Simbine said.