National records tumbled on Saturday, with the host nation producing another dominant all-round performance on the second and final day of the CAA Southern Region U20 Youth and U18 Junior Championships at Boksburg Athletics Stadium, Johannesburg.
Making a habit of shattering records, Kayle Blignaut and Gontse Morake continued to build on their spectacular form this season.
Blignaut bettered his own South African U20 Junior mark in the Shot Put, securing victory with a 21.65m heave. His best effort landed 1.15 metres further than the next best performance in his age group on the national all-time ranking lists.
“My first 21-metre throw came with my first attempt, so it was hard to hold back the emotion, but I kept my head straight because I knew I could get a big one today and then it came. My coach and I are very happy,” Blignaut said. “At the IAAF World U20 Champs (later this year) I want to go at least 22 metres.”
Morake, produced an incredible double, winning the Youth U-18 Girls 400m Hurdles title in 59.77 before breaking her own SA age group record with a 13.10m effort in the Triple Jump.
“I want to keep working hard and rectify any mistakes moving forward because I have a burning desire to make it to the Youth Olympics,” Morake said.
The country’s top young sprinters also delivered in style, with three SA records falling in relay events.
The SA Junior Men 4x100m Relay Team clocked 39.33 seconds to win gold, breaking the national record by 0.13, while the Youth Boys squad covered their lap in 40.76 to chop 0.24 off the previous mark, while the Youth Boys 4x400m quartet finished in 3:13.72, clipping 0.42 off the previous standard.
The SA Youth Girls 4x100m team narrowly missed out, clocking 45.64 to win their final, just 0.02 outside the national record.
Dane Roets won the Youth Girls Shot Put title with a 17.46m heave, falling six centimetres short of Lezaan Jordaan‘s six-year-old national Youth mark. Sokwakhana Zazini completed the Junior Men’s 400m Hurdles final in 49.99, adding to his flat 400m title he won the day before.
FULL RESULTS
CAA Southern Region Full Summary Results
Meet The Authors
Athletics South Africa is the governing body for the sport code of track and field in the Republic of South Africa with a head office in Johannesburg.
