Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Enjoying life in the fast lane
SEPARATED by 1.2km in distance, Mondale and Portland high schools went head-tohead for the first time in more than a decade at the Western Province Super A athletics meet at Green Point track this week.
The Mitchells Plain-based schools were in a class of their own but it was Mondale that defended their Super A title.
They were followed by Bernadino Heights, Milnerton, South Peninsula and Elsies River high schools.
The athletes who stepped-up a gear will now compete at their respective zonal championships and hope to qualify for the WP high schools championships next month.
Among Mondale’s star athletes was Walied Brown, who could not have asked for a better start to his track and field season.
Walied, 16, a member of Itheko Sport Athletics Club, took the gold medal in the boys’ under-17 200m sprints and was part of the 4x100m relay team that finished first. However, he could not repeat his performances in the 100m sprints and long jump events and had to settle for second position.
“I did well but there’s always room for improvement. As the season progresses the competition will get tougher.
“However, I will give my best and put into practice what I’ve learnt at training come competition time,” said the former Parkhurst Primary School pupil who hopes to improve on his times and be selected for the Western Cape schools team.
“I need to stay positive and keep on believing to reach my goals. I hope to follow in the footsteps of the 100m Youth Olympic champion Luke Davids but also to create my own piece of history,” said Walied, who represented the WP schools’ team in 2016.
Mushfiqa Fakier, a matric pupil at Mondale, said she was thrilled about the performances by all schools.
“My school put in a great amount of effort to defend our Super A title. We knew it won’t be easy because we went up against quality opposition,” she said.
Sport administrator and teacher at Mondale, Valhatiem Raynard, said he was extremely proud of his athletes’ performances.
“We live by dedication, discipline and determination. This is something we worked towards and see as a beacon of light in the communities we come from.
“To be the only winners of this competition gives our children and the community a sense of pride and belief that we can be better our circumstances. This is a victory for Mitchells Plain,” he said
In other action, Milnerton High School’s Lawon Hill had a good day, taking gold in the girls’ under-17 100m sprints.
She was part of the girls under17 4x100m relay team which finished first.
Portland’s Daiyaan Wyngaard leaped to a gold medal in the under17 long jump event and was part of the medley relay who also took home the gold.
His teammate, Mujaahid Ismail, grabbed gold in the under-15 100m sprints and the 100m and 300m hurdles event. The young speedster won by more than 50 metres in the 300m hurdles event.
He was also part of the under-15 4x100m relay team who won gold.
South Peninsula’s Roxy Davids came first in the girls under-17 400m sprints and second in the 800m.