Supreme honour for Caster and LJ
TUKS AWARDS: DUO NAMED ATHLETES OF THE CENTURY
Accolades also go to Akani Simbine and Carina Horn.
Middle-distance star Caster Semenya and recently retired 400m hurdles specialist LJ van Zyl have been recognised for their spectacular efforts on the track by being named Tuks Athletes of the Century.
With the University of Pretoria celebrating 100 years of track and field participation at a gala ceremony on Wednesday night, Semenya and Van Zyl were honoured as the standout performers since Tuks Athletics was launched in 1918.
While Semenya had spent a portion of her career at NWU-Pukke, she had since returned to the capital city.
Her long list of world-class achievements included three world titles and two Olympic gold medals over the 800m distance.
She had also won gold over 1 500m at the Commonwealth Games and in the 400m sprint at the African Championships.
Having shattered multiple SA records in recent years, she held national marks in the 400m (49.62), 800m (1:54.25), 1 000m (2:30.70) and 1 500m (3:59.92) events, as well as the unofficial 600m world best (1:21.77).
“Over the last 10 years, Semenya certainly defied all obstacles that were thrown her way while being true to her roots,” Tuks Athletics said in a statement.
Van Zyl, a former Commonwealth Games champion and World Championships bronze medallist, was one of South Africa’s most consistent athletes for nearly two decades before hanging up his spikes earlier this year.
During his career, he twice set the national 400m hurdles record of 47.66 seconds. He also secured gold medals at the World Junior Championships, the African Championships and the African Games.
“Van Zyl got the nod as being the best because he has been one of South Africa’s most prolific international medal winners since international readmission in 1992,” Tuks Athletics said.
Meanwhile, sprinters Akani Simbine and Carina Horn were named Tuks Male and Female Athletes of the Year respectively.