GAME NOT OVER FOR ATHLETES HOPING TO HEAD TO LONDON
Controversial discus-thrower’s ranking enough for quota invite to World Champs
VICTOR Hogan, South Africa’s controversial discus-thrower, could still find himself competing in London at the World Championships next month, after all. But it looks like it is game over for the 14 athletes omitted by Athletics SA (ASA), despite them achieving qualifying standards set by world governing body the IAAF.
That is according to an unofficial website which tracks athletes’ selections‚ omissions and rankings.
ASA had said the 14 athletes could still get to London through quota invitations‚ but the site suggests otherwise‚ listing all non-selected athletes as being out of contention for quota spots.
The IAAF sets a limit of entrants in each discipline‚ ranging from 56 athletes in the 100m and 200m races to 32 in the field events.
When those numbers are not reached‚ the highest-ranked eligible athletes are invited.
Could ASA have made such a crucial mistake? It would not be its first error in recent days.
ASA had initially chosen Hogan to be in the team‚ thinking he had achieved the IAAF qualifying standard‚ when in fact he had not.
The federation said he had qualified as the reigning African champion‚ only for the IAAF to reject that, because Hogan had been stripped of the title.
He had failed a test at the national championships in April‚ nullifying all results thereafter – including the African Championships.
Hogan is ranked high enough to get a quota invitation. His ban ended in late June. There could also be an invitation for 100m hurdler Rikenette Steenkamp‚ who missed the IAAF qualifier by one-hundredth of a second.
Dominique Scott‚ omitted by ASA in the 5 000m‚ is close to invitation territory in the 1 500m.
ASA imposed its own qualifying standards that were tougher than the IAAF’s. A total of 38 SA athletes achieved the IAAF standards‚ but only 18 managed the ASA criteria.
Of the other 20‚ ASA picked six – five on discretion and one for the women’s 4×400m relay team. Three more athletes had been entered into the relay team.
But Henricho Bruintjies‚ omitted from the 100m despite his 10.06 season’s best‚ would have been ranked around 18th at the championships‚ suggesting he will easily make the top 24 for semifinals.
He made the semis at the last championships, in Beijing, in 2015.
Nations can enter a maximum of three athletes per event‚ which effectively disqualifies scores of African sprint and long-race stars.
The irony is compatriot Anaso Jobodwana is just three spots away from a quota invite to London, despite a largely forgettable year.
That he is closer to a spot than Bruintjies suggests problems with ASA’s selection policy. It has said it would allow quota invitations.
An IAAF spokesman said the quota invitations were expected to be done by the end of this week.
The SA team so far is: