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2016: A YEAR TO REMEMBER FOR MZANSI ATHLETES!

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SA stars Wayde Van Niekerk (top right), Caster Semenya (bottom right), javelin queen Sunette Viljoen (top left) and long jumper Luvo Manyonga.   Photos by  Gallo Images & BackpagePix
SA stars Wayde Van Niekerk (top right), Caster Semenya (bottom right), javelin queen Sunette Viljoen (top left) and long jumper Luvo Manyonga. Photos by Gallo Images & BackpagePix

MZANSI’S athletics seems to be on the right track!

The sport is growing in leaps and bounds and 2016 will go down as one of the best in their history.

Big name athletes such as Wayde “Dreamer” Van Niekerk, golden girl Caster Semenya, javelin queen Sunette Viljoen and long jumper Luvo Manyonga headlined SA athletics’ great year when they collected medals at the Rio Olympic Games in Brazil in August.

Van Niekerk smashed the 400m world record with his 43.03 effort, beating USA legend Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old record.

Van Niekerk was also unbeaten this year in the 400m.

It did not end there for the Mzansi sprint ace as he picked up his first major international accolade when he was named as the best male athlete at the Rio Olympics by the Olympic Committee in October.

He also made a clean sweep when he stepped on to the stage not once but five times at the SA Sports awards last month.

Van Niekerk is expected to continue next year where he left off at the IAAF world championships in London.

Semenya, who won the Diamond Series title in the 800m, became the first black, South African track and field woman to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Semenya is also unbeaten in her event and has conquered everything including the African Senior Athletics Championships where she clinched two medals in the 400 and 800m.

Manyonga came within just one centimetre of winning a gold medal in Rio, but his 8.37m was not enough as American Jeff Henderson leaped to 8.38m.

ASA contributed four of the 10 medals that were collected by Team SA at the Olympics, speaking volumes for a federation that was in crises a few years ago.

Young sprinter Gift Leotlela and Clearance Munyai were the youngest members of Team SA in Rio at 18 years of age, and will be ones to watch at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

In the road running category, former Comrades Marathon champion Bongumusa Mthembu grabbed a silver medal at the IAU 100km World Championships in Spain last month.

Mthembu clocked 6:24:05 to set a new national record. Gift Kelehe, Rufus Photo, David Gabede, Ludwick Mamabolo and Mthembu helped Team SA to secure second spot at the same event. ASA president Aleck Skhosana said he expected more success for local athletes in 2017.

“Our athletes showed that they can compete against the best in the world. We want to see our stars breaking boundaries next season. 2016 will go down as the best year in our sport so far.”

Athletics received a record 17 awards nominations at the SA Sports awards ceremony and Skhosana said this was an indication that the sport is growing.

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