SA jumpers in Shanghai shootout
Can Mokoena gain ground on Manyonga?
Veteran Khotso Mokoena will face Luvo Manyonga for the first time since the 26-year-old shattered his long jump record last month.
Mokoena, 32, will face Manyonga in a strong field at the IAAF Diamond League in Shanghai tomorrow.
The pair – both Olympic silver medallists – lead a fourman SA contingent that also has Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Ruswahl Samaai and 400m hurdler LJ van Zyl.
Manyonga holds the SA and African record leap of 8.65m, having first beaten Mokoena’s magical 8.50m mark, that had stood for eight years, by 12 centimetres in March and bettered his own mark by 3cm last month.
The SA trio take on Olympic champion Jeff Henderson of the US, Australia’s Fabrice Lapierre (2015 world championships silver medallist) and US’s Marquis Dendy (world indoor champion).
“This will be my first outdoor competition in the long jump since the 2015 world champs. It’s going to be fun to be back in the field with all the guys again. I will try to remain relaxed throughout,” Mokoena told Sowetan.
Henderson snatched Olympic gold from Manyonga by a 1cm in Rio last August.
“Luvo is positive and looking forward to put one over Henderson,” Manyonga’s coach Neil Cornelius told Sowetan.
The Shanghai meeting will be Mokoena’s first outdoor competition of the season. He spent almost three months in Spain reviving his career under new coach, Cuban long jump legend Ivan Pedroso.
Mokoena has only competed indoors this season, finishing as overall winner of the IAAF World Indoor Tour series.