World University Games champion Stephen Mokoka was the stand-out performer of the two-day South African Athletics Championships in Stellenbosch with a national record and World lead in the men’s 5000m on Saturday.
[link id=”185″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Mokoka”], who won the men’s 10,000m in 28:15.56 on Friday at the Coetzenburg Stadium, went out hard and smashed the 20-year-old mark held by Shadrack Hoff in a time of 13:11.44, bagging the the World Championships qualifying time in the process.
Hoff had set the previous mark of 13:14.16 in Gateshead, England in 1995.
In other events, Commonwealth and African bronze medallist [link id=”714″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Rushwal Samaai “]sets a new PB in the men’s long jump with a leap of 8.38m (+1.4), sending him to second on the national all-time list and sixth on the African all-time list.
African and Commonwealth silver medallist [link id=”475″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Wayde van Niekerk”] won the 400m in a season’s best of 44.91, while 19-year-old Jon Seeliger sets a PB of 45.85 for second place.
In the men’s short sprints, [link id=”715″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Akani Simbine”] and [link id=”143″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Anaso Jobodwana”] took the national titles with Simbine clocking 10.25 (-2.1) in the 100m and Jobodwana sealing a World Championships spot with a 20.35 (-0.1) in the 200m.
Sunette Viljoen won the women’s javelin with a throw of 64.14m; [link id=”201″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Caster Semenya”] took the women’s 800m title in 2:05.05, Johan Cronje won the men’s 1500m in 3:37.93 ahead of Dumisani Hlaselo 3:38.38; and [link id=”438″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Lebo Phalula”] took the women’s 1500m title in 4:14.43.
[link id=”230″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Khotso Mokoena”] won the men’s triple jump with 16.63m (+1.5) and Carina Horn took the women’s 100m title in 11.40 (-2.1) with Justine Palframan claiming the 200m in 23.26 (-2.2) and the 400m in 52.49.
[link id=”142″ tax=”post_tag” text=”LJ Van Zyl”] and [link id=”477″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Wenda Nel”] won the men and women 400m hurdles in 49.29 and 55.27 seconds respectively. [link id=”395″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Andre Olivier”] won the men’s 800m in 1:46.02 and Dikotsi Lekopa took the steeple in a personal best time of 8:32.17.
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