Bruintjies wants to thrill home fans
THE 100M clash between Akani Simbine and Henricho Bruintjies will undoubtedly be one of the major drawcards at the third and final Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix Series Meeting at the Dal Josaphat Stadium in Paarl on Thursday.
For Simbine, it’s a final test before departing to the Gold Coast, Australia for the Commonwealth Games, while for Bruintjies it is a homecoming and an opportunity to race in front of his home crowd in Paarl where he will gun for the scalp of his friend, Simbine.
The much anticipated duel between the two did not materialise at the national championships, with Simbine withdrawing after the first round as a precaution. Simbine had complained of a tight hamstring and after consulting with his coach, withdrew.
Bruintjies went on to win the bronze medal. Now the two will go head-to-head in Paarl.
Bruintjies grew up in the Boland town, so for him to be able to race in front of what is still his hometown, has special meaning. “I’m looking forward to running at home,” said Bruintjies. “Moving up to Tshwane was the right decision for my athletics career, but being able to run at what I still see as home, is a big deal for me.”
Bruintjies is the last man to beat Simbine on South African soil in the 100m after he edged the South African record holder at the 2016 ASA Senior Championships in Stellenbosch, a stone’s throw from where Bruintjies grew up.
Simbine put all fears about injury problems to rest, saying he was healthy, ready and eager to race in Paarl. “I felt a tightness in my hamstring and after discussing it with my coach, we opted to withdraw from the championships.
This was one of the hardest decisions that I have made, as the national title means a lot to me and I enjoy running in front of my home crowd.
“It is important to me to be able to do that as they always support me, so I feel it is my responsibility to reciprocate by racing at Tuks. But I had to make the hard decision.”
Included in the 100m field are Simon Magakwe, the national champion in the 100m, Luxolo Adams, the 200m SA champion, Luxolo Adams as well as Roscoe Engel, who finished fourth at the national championships and Ret-shiditswe Mlenga, the 18-yearold World Youth Champion who finished fifth at the national championships in the 100m final.
Two other big attractions at the meeting will be World Youth high jump champion Breyton Poole, who will be looking to improve on his personal best of 2.25m, and Caster Semenya, who will be trying to smash Zola Budd’s 34-year old iconic record in the 1500m.