Wöstmann withdraws from Comrades
THE women’s race for this year’s Comrades up-run took a substantial blow yesterday when defending champion from the last up-run in 2015, Caroline Wöstmann, announced that she won’t be competing this year after running out of time to recover from a hamstring injury.
Wöstmann, who shot to stardom by winning the ultra marathon a little out of nowhere when the race last snaked from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, brought back some South African pride when she broke the foreign monopoly of the women’s race that stretched back to 1998 and Rae Bisshoff.
Last year, Wöstmann was again favourite to take the title on the down-run. However, a tense rivalry developed between her and eventual winner Charne Bosman as the race reached its conclusion.
Leading in towards the metropolitan of Durban, Wöstmann’s legs gave out on her as Bosman trudged past at a steady pace to take the title.
Wöstmann made the difficult decision to withdraw from the marathon on advice from her medical team. Suffering a hamstring injury at last month’s Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, Wöstmann undertook an inten- sive rehabilitation regime with the hopes of defending her up-run title.
“Despite aggressive recovery treatments and rehab to the injury, it hasn’t healed sufficiently to allow me to safely compete at Comrades this year,” Wöstmann said.
“On the 4th of June I won’t be running the Comrades Marathon but I will be one of the supporters. Even though everything in me wants to go and run Comrades, I have made the heart-breaking decision to listen to my medical team and withdraw from the race.”
Wöstmann was initially positive about the prognosis and looked set to line up for the race in just over a week’s time.
“During Two Oceans I picked up a hamstring niggle where it was later diagnosed as a neural injury which was far more serious than originally presumed,” Wöstmann explained.
“I want to thank all my sponsors, my team, and my friends for their incredible support.”
“I have received so much energy and motivation from the Comrades supporters cheering me on in past years and I hope I can give that back to my fellow Comrades as they complete their journey this year,” Wöstmann said. I wish every one of my Comrades a life-changing adventure from Durban up to Pietermaritzburg this year.”