Manyonga leaps for cloud nine
AMBITIOUS: LUVO WANTS SLICE OF LONG JUMP HISTORY
Commonwealth bronze medallist Nel faces stiff challenge.
Some of South Africa’s top athletes will look to build on their medal-winning form at the recent Gold Coast Commonwealth Games when they open their Diamond League campaigns in Shanghai today.
After snatching gold at the Commonwealth spectacle, long jump world champion Luvo Manyonga was set to face a powerful line-up at the second leg of the top-flight series, which featured the likes of Cuban teenager Juan Miguel Echevarria and US Olympic champion Jeff Henderson.
Manyonga reiterated his intent to challenge the world record of 8.95m at a later stage in his career, and while he had not yet approached his national best of 8.65m this season, he was confident of his chances this weekend.
“I want to clear nine metres, and be the first guy to do that. It’s gonna happen before I die,” Manyonga told the event organisers.
Meanwhile, after delivering a stunning performance to grab Commonwealth bronze, Wenda Nel was set to go into the blocks with renewed confidence as she prepared to open the main programme in the women’s 400m hurdles race at 1pm (SA time).
The Tuks athlete was facing a stiff challenge, however, with the field including Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad of the United States and Commonwealth gold medallist Janieve Russell of Jamaica.
“You can say that I have come of age as I have decided that is high time for me to start believing in my abilities as a hurdler,” Nel said.
In other events, Sunette Viljoen was among the favourites in the women’s javelin throw.
Having recovered from a back injury to earn her fourth straight Commonwealth medal, she was eager to build on her form, with her strongest opposition expected to come from former world champion Katharina Molitor of Germany.
Rynardt van Rensburg, the last of the SA athletes competing in Shanghai, was included in the start lists for the men’s 800m race.