London’s calling for Senekal
Bay shot put and discus star off to Athletics World Cup next month
NELSON Mandela Bay shot put and discus star Ischke Senekal will once again pull on the green and gold of South Africa when she takes part in the Athletics World Cup in London next month. Senekal, a member of the Bestmed Madibaz Athletics club, will take to the field for the fourth time in South African colours as she competes against some of the best athletes in her discipline.
Speaking about her selection, Senekal, who lives in Uitenhage, said: “I was very excited to learn about my selection as this had been one of my goals for this year.”
She has competed at a number of competitions, including the Varsity Athletics meeting where she set a new discus record of 56.69m, marginally short of her own personal best distance of 56.86m.
She went on to the SA Senior Championships where she claimed gold in both the discus and shot put events to ensure her third straight national championship in both events.
Senekal followed that up with a double gold at the SA Student Championships with throws of 55.86m and 17.56m in the discus and shot put, another personal best.
Speaking about the upcoming World Cup, she said: “I would like to see what I can do against these ladies who are seen as the best in their country. I want to go and simply do the best I can.”
Senekal said the cold weather had forced her to dress in warmer clothing during training.
“Preparations are going well. It’s just a little difficult to practise in this cold as I am dressed as an Eskimo, not even breaking a sweat.
“My body is feeling great as we practise every day. It has been a long season for me having started in August last year up until now with a week break after the student championships,” she said.
A typical day for Senekal, who teaches at Ankervas Primary School in Rocklands, starts at 6am preparing for school and ends at about 10pm.
She manages to fit in a full day at school and a training session with athletes at Handhaaf Primary School before her own training at the Westbourne Oval.
After all that activity, she still manages to fit in an hour-long gym session, before finishing up with some homework and winding down at about 10pm.
Senekal chose teaching because of her love for children.
“I love working with children and want to help those who struggle with schoolwork overcome these challenges and become functional adults in our society,” she said.
She said there was little time for herself unless she had a Saturday off from competitions or no classes at Nelson Mandela University, where she is doing an honours degree in education.
Senekal will not compete in any competitions leading up to London. She will continue to work on her technique under the guidance of her coach, Kobus van Zyl.
She hopes to explore the European athletics circuit next year but said it was expensive and she would need to source funding to make that dream a reality.