‘Grown up’ Zazini to focus on racing
South African sprint sensation Sokwakhana Zazini is tired of the naysayers, and he wants to focus on his athletics career. At 22, the 400m hurdles star has a bright future ahead of him but personal problems have been holding him back.
On a good day, Zazini can take on anyone and win. However, he has been troubled by injuries and personal problems.
Zazini won the 400m hurdles senior men’s final in the second leg of the ASA Grand Prix Series at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town midweek.
He clocked 49.66 to take gold in windy and cold conditions, firing a warning shot to his competitors. But he admitted that he is dealing with issues off track and wants to put them behind him to focus on his running.
“I did not race a lot in the past two years, and racing a lot this year will keep me fit and help me run faster. I was battling with injuries and a lot of stuff going on in my life, some of them personal. But I decided to focus on my athletics and stop focusing on what people say or think about me,” said Zazini.
“I am mature now and can separate my problems from my running career. It is not easy to bring your problems to competitions and training, and succeed. I have grown up now.”
The Tshwane University of Technology second-year marketing student said he was happy with his win in Cape Town.
He and his coach Irma Reyneke are working on running a sub-49, and hopes it will happen at the senior national championships at the same venue next month.
Zazini opened his season with a personal best of 49.02 at the Athletics Gauteng North Championships in Tshwane.