S’africa unveils squad for Asaba 2018 African Senior Athletics Championships
ON the heels of its good outing at the just-concluded Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, South Africa is aiming for more glory in international athletics.
Athletics South Africa at the weekend unveiled an ambitious 127-member national preparation squad for the 2018 CAA African Senior Championships in Asaba, Nigeria between, scheduled to hold from August 1 to 5.
The squad features several athletes that won medals at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, including sprinters, Akani Simbine and Henricho Bruintjies; long jump stars, Luvo Manyonga and Ruswahl Samaai. Also in the squad are middle-distance star, Caster Semenya, hurdler Wenda Nel and Javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen. The biennial continental championships will be another opportunity for South Africa to defend its continental crown won in 2016 in Durban with a total of 33 medals, 16 of them in gold.
Kenya followed in the second position with 24 total, with eight in gold. This year’s hosts, Nigeria ended with four gold medals from a total of 16. South Africa will utilise as another stepping stone to provide athletes with crucial experience in the buildup to next year’s IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
While the squad includes up to seven athletes in individual disciplines, it will be reduced closer to the event, as only three athletes are allowed per participating nation in each discipline.