Speedsters at forefront of SA revolution

The progress in South African sprinting over the last few years has been so rapid it has been difficult to keep pace with a growing list of speedsters who are taking South African athletics to a whole new level.

While various other athletes have led world-class breakthroughs in their disciplines in recent years, including Caster Semenya, Sunette Viljoen and more recently Luvo Manyonga, the sprinters have played a lead role in the ongoing revolution in South African athletics.

Before Simon Magakwe made an historic breakthrough a few years ago in the men’s 100m, dipping under 10 seconds in Pretoria, the national sprint records had stood the test of time.

The SA 100m mark of 10.06 had held firm for 26 years, the 200m standard of 20.11 went unchallenged for 12 years, and the 400m record of 44.59 had gone unrattled for 15 seasons.

Not only have all three marks fallen over the last three years, but they have been absolutely annihilated.

Over that short period, the 100m record has been bettered by 0.17, the 200m standard by 0.24 and the 400m best by an astounding 1.56 seconds, thanks to a unique speedster from Bloemfontein.

Perhaps even more promising is that five South African men have gone under 10 seconds in the short sprint and three athletes have dipped under 20 in the halflap dash, with Magakwe seemingly opening the door for an avalanche that has followed.

Teenagers Gift Leotlela and Clarence Munyai, who both competed at last year’s Olympics, have broken the national junior 100m and 200m records this season, with respective performances of 10.12 and 20.10.

While Leotlela has perhaps proved to have had the slight edge thus far in racing for championship

Wesley Bo on

medals, Munyai’s raw speed makes him an equally exciting prospect.

Should Munyai break the 20-second barrier in the half-lap sprint, in his final season as a junior athlete, he will become only the second Under-20 speedster after Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt to achieve the feat.

The most exciting event at this stage, from an international perspective, is the 200m distance.

Despite World Championships bronze medallist Anaso Jobodwana struggling to find his best form while fighting back from injury, Wayde van Niekerk (19.90) and Akani Simbine (19.95) have already dipped under 20 seconds this year, and there are five South Africans in the top six in the current world rankings.

Before we jump the gun, it’s important to note that the international outdoor season has not yet begun, but while the world’s best will soon show their cards, the nation has such immense potential in the half-lap contest that there could be more South Africans in the 200m final at the World Championships this year than Americans or Jamaicans.

And if they are firing on all cylinders in London, we could see SA sprinters on the podium in the 100m, 200m and 400m events, a dream of myths and legends just a few short years ago.

While the women’s progress has not been as rapid, it has also been notable, with Carina Horn equalling the 27-year-old 100m record held by Evette de Klerk in 2015.

While De Klerk’s 200m mark of 22.06 has stood for 28 straight seasons, and Heide Quinn’s 400m standard of 50.05 has not been cracked in nearly 17 years, with a resurgent Alyssa Conley on a steep curve and Caster Semenya looking to focus more on the onelap event, those records could soon be in danger.

Indeed, it would be unfair to ignore the significant improvement made by other athletes in various events, but the rise in both the level of performances and public interest in the sport has revolved largely around the country’s elite sprinters who have campaigned both on and off the track to attract spectators to stadiums.

The domestic season may be almost over, but the international track and field campaign kicks off next week, and the sprinters will continue to spearhead the charge as they gather momentum, with a South African juggernaut gaining pace in their wake.

By building on what they have achieved on home soil, they’re only going to get faster. We’ll have to try and keep up.