SA’s Luvo shines like a Diamond
CONVINCING: MANYONGA WRAPS UP FLAWLESS SEASON
Long jump sensation Luvo Manyonga was celebrating a flawless season after wrapping up his campaign with another convincing victory at the Diamond League series final in Zurich on Thursday night.
The 26-year-old athlete was expected to arrive back in the country today after closing out a superb year on the circuit.
Having missed out on Olympic gold by just one centimetre in Rio last year, Manyonga made no mistakes this season.
He set a national record of 8.65m to win the SA title in Potchefstroom in April – the best jump in the world in eight years – and went on to secure the global title in London earlier this month before lifting the Diamond League trophy with a leap of 8.49m in Zurich, finishing 18cm clear of compatriot Ruswahl Samaai.
“I feel overwhelmed. This was a great competition with a great crowd,” he said afterwards.
“I am very proud of my season because I am undefeated.
“I always do what my coach (Neil Cornelius) tells me to do and my training paid off.”
The nation’s elite athletes were gearing up for a hectic 2018 schedule, with the World Indoor Championships, the national championships and the Commonwealth Games all set to be held within the first four months of the year.
After taking a short break, Manyonga believed he would be ready to tackle the new season, and while the world record of 8.95m remained out of reach for now, he was eager to chase another gold medal at the multi-sport showpiece in Gold Coast in April.
“My aim for 2018 is to have an excellent season again, and to win the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
Meanwhile, middle-distance runner Caster Semenya, who won the women’s 800m title at the midweek meeting, was set to close out her season in a rare 600m race at the World Challenge event in Berlin tomorrow.