Classy women’s field will be vying with Wostmann for Comrades honours
CAROLINE Wostmann has recovered from the hamstring injury that forced her to pull out of the Old Two Oceans Marathon and is ready to defend her Comrades Marathon up-run title.
“Caroline is hard at training in Crystal Springs near Graskop in Mpumalanga,” said KPMG Athletics Club’s national manager Dana Coetzee “She has not been experiencing any pain during training and I am sure she will be fine for Comrades.”
Coetzee squashed the suggestion that Wostmann pulled out of the Two Oceans for fear she might struggle at Comrades like she did last year.
“The truth is that Caroline experienced some pain in her hamstring. That’s the reason she pulled out. She could have aggravated the pain had she persisted with the run and it might have risked her Comrades participation.”
Wostmann is once again among the favourites to win the ultimate human race and will battle it out for honours with the likes of last year’s winner Charne Bosman as well as Americans Camille Herron and Sarah Bard.
With the Om Die Dam title plus victory in the Sarens Edenvale Marathon to her name already this year, Wostmann will not be lacking in confidence for the June 4 race from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
Coetzee also has high expectations of the other female athletes in his team, in particular Mary Khourie, and with good reason too..
“Mary won the Cape Gate Vaal Marathon and she was a silver medalist at last year’s Comrades. She was second at Pick n’ Pay Marathon and she finished fourth at Om Die Dam. We expect her to do well.”
Novice Danette Smith, a winner of the SA Marathon Championships in Durban, will also be chasing gold while veteran Lesley Train Austin goes into Comrades on the back of victories at both the Rio Kleksdorp and Surrender Hill Marathons.
Master Colleen de Reuck, who made her Comrades debut last year, will also be looking to help KPMG win the Team title by improving on her 7th place finish in 2016.
Comrades novice Franza Landman, according to Coetzee, is another one in her team with the potential to do well.
“She won the Rovor Scaffolding 50km already this year and she was 4th at Pick n’ Pay,” Coetzee explained. “Internationally we have Devon Yanko who will put up a strong challenge for honours. She had a good run back in 2012 when she finished 5th and she will be keen to do even better.”
In the men’s section, KPMG will be pinning their hopes of Rufus Photo.
“We have strong team going down to Durban this year,” Coetzee said, the confidence in his voice unmistaken “Rufus has always done well, last year he finished 5th. And this year he finished 4th at the Capricorn Polokwane Marathon and 13th at Two Oceans which he was using as training.”
Also out to fly the KPMG flag will be Thabo Nkuna who has three Wally Hayward Medals (the medal for those who finish outside the top ten but within six hours) and perennial silver medalist Renier Grobler.
All eyes will, however, be on defending champion Wostmann.