Derailed by cramps, Mthembu has no excuses

Ultra-distance runner Bongmusa Mthembu (right) admits his world title ambitions were crushed by cramps at the weekend, but he was pleased to have held on for a bronze medal at the 100km World Championships in Sveti, Montenegro.

Mthembu, who earned silver in last year’s global showpiece, took the lead before the 70km mark but struggled in the latter stages.

He slowed to a walk with a little more than 10km remaining, before stopping briefly, and he was chased down by a strong Japanese team.

Mthembu managed to shake off stomach cramps, however, and got going again, ultimately holding on for third place in 6:33:47.

Hideaki Yamauchi of Japan retained his title, finishing the race in 6:28:05.

“On a flat course you need to be able to tense your stomach, so you can’t run with a cramp and I had to stop for a bit,” Mthembu said after the SA squad returned home yesterday.

“Salome Cooper was just behind me (on the looped course) and she encouraged me, saying: ‘You can’t pull out now’, but I said: ‘No, I’m just taking a moment to cool down’.

“But I don’t want to make excuses. The Japanese guys had their plan and it worked accordingly.”

The three-time Comrades Marathon winner led the SA men’s squad to the silver medal in the team competition behind a dominant Japanese outfit, with Thuso Mosiea finishing 14th and Best Ngwenya grabbing 16th spot.

The second-string national women’s team struggled to put up a fight for individual medals, but Cooper produced a strong finish, storming through the field to take seventh position in 7:51:13.

She led the SA team to the silver medal, backed by performances from Fikile Mbuthuma, who took 14th place, and Lisa Collett who ended 19th.

Nikolina Sustic of Croatia won gold in the individual race in 7:20:34.