Horn says there is more to come

SPRINTER LOWERS 28-YEAR SA RECORD She believes she can break record again in 100m final.

Having smashed the national record in the semifinals yesterday, Carina Horn believes she can go even quicker when she enters the blocks for the women’s 100m final this evening, as she targets the sub-11 barrier at the SA Athletics Championships in Pretoria.

Horn clipped 0.03 off the previous mark she shared with Evette de Klerk, which had stood for 28 years, storming across the line in 11.03 in the penultimate round of the short dash on the quick Tuks Stadium track.

“I targeted this race because the final is a bit late (tonight) and we never know what the weather is doing,” Horn said afterwards.

“The weather was good, so we decided to go for it.”

Switching her base between Pretoria and Austria, Horn is used to training in cold weather, and even if the temperature drops tonight, she could crack the record again should the wind stay down.

“If the weather is fine, hopefully I’ll go sub-11,” she said.

“Now that I’ve got the record, hopefully the sub-11 will come.”

While a few field event finals were contested early yesterday, the sprinters stole the show in the morning session, with the men also producing fast times in the 100m semifinals.

Having clocked 10.11 in the heats, Akani Simbine withdrew from the penultimate round after apparently picking up a hamstring niggle, but some stunning performances kept the track alight in his absence.

Roscoe Engel shattered his personal best, winning his race in 10.06, with teenager Thando Dlodlo breaking the national junior record by 0.01. He crossed the line in second place in 10.11 to shave 0.01 off the previous SA Under-20 best held by Gift Leotlela.

Former SA record holders Simon Magakwe (10.09) and Henricho Bruintjies (10.10) won the other two semifinals, setting up a thrilling final, to be held shortly before 8pm tonight.