Athletics event lures hundreds
MORE than 400 athletes from around South Africa gathered at Nelson Mandela University, South Campus to take part in the 39th South African Masters Athletics Championships, which started yesterday and will finish today.
Winners will qualify to take part in the World Masters Championships set for France later this year.
The annual event has participants from the age of 30 to 80 years, who have been grouped according to their ages.
Athletes compete in walks, sprints, throw, long jump, shot put and hammer throw.
Eastern Cape Athletics Local Organising Committee member Sergito Mullins said this event had been around for more than 35 years.
“We also have a few international athletes who came as far as Namibia, Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand taking part in the competition.
“The event rotates, it is held coastally and inland,” Mullins said.
Mullins, 35, an athlete himself doing the 100-200 sprint, will be taking part in the competition for the first time and says he is out to have fun.
“This will be my first masters competition as I have always competed at senior level but now I am looking at taking part in both. I am just out here to have some fun.
“I have been struggling with some injuries this year so coming out here is just to check where I am. I will be taking part in the 100 metres today and am out to win this one,” Mullins said.
Western Cape Athlete Shaun Abrahams, who is currently the number one in the 800m masters in his age group and one of the World Class leaders, says he hopes to win all of his races here in PE.
Top ladies sprinter Pretoria’s Adri Schoeman de Jongh, 44, who currently holds the Masters World Championship, in her age group says this year she has a hamstring injury.
“I’ll see how it goes during my warm up. If the pain level is high I won’t run,” Schoeman de Jongh said.