Magakwe aims to keep fifth SA title with ‘personal best’

SPRINTING sensation Simon Magakwe will hope to extend his reign as undisputed speed king at the South African Senior Championships in Stellenbosch today and tomorrow.

The joint national 100m record holder will be vying for his fifth successive South African title in the short sprint.

He became the first sprinter to win the 100m title four consecutive times at last year’s championships in Port Elizabeth and won the 200m title for the first time. The 26-year-old will line up with senior regulars Leigh Julius, Roscoe Engel and Brent Stevens.

Magakwe’s stiffest competition could, however, come from the crop of young guns out to claim his scalp. Newly crowned SA junior champion Thado Roto last weekend beat some of the best junior athletes and could stake a claim along with Gideon Trotter, who last year clocked a season’s best of 10.29 seconds.

Another rising youngster to test his mettle against senior athletes is Akani Simbine, who set a new SA junior 100m record of 10.19 seconds at the Zone 6 Games in Zambia in December last year.

Magakwe welcomed the prospect of having serious local opposition.

“I was surprised to hear there is a young boy running a 10.19, which is a good thing because at least the competition is getting there,” Magakwe said about Simbine.

At last year’s championships he ran a fast 10.3 seconds in the final and later equalled Johan Rossouw’s national record of 10.06 seconds. Magakwe said he had put the recordbreaking race behind him and will turn his attention toward a greater milestone.

“The 10.06 I ran last year is in the past and now I’m looking for a new personal best, but it is all about doing your best on the track and the performance will talk for itself. It depends on how the legs respond; it will come (breaking the 10-second barrier).”

The men’s 200m race has a classy field lining up against Magakwe, with South African 400m hurdles record holder LJ van Zyl a surprise inclusion in the field. Sapa