Share

MAGAKWE GETS HIS GROOVE BACK ON TRACK!

accreditation
CATCHING UP . . . Simon Magakwe wants to make for lost time.
CATCHING UP . . . Simon Magakwe wants to make for lost time.
Photo by Galo Images

FORGOTTEN sprinter, Simon Magakwe, is back and determined to prove a point.  Sprint kings Akani Simbine and Wayde van Niekerk also welcomed back the faded star, whom they used to admire on the track.

But they were quick to tease him and tell him his time had come and gone. After serving a two-year ban, Magakwe got his first taste of competition at the ASA Senior National Athletics Championships at the Puk McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom on Friday.

Van Niekerk said: “It’s exciting and it brings a bit of spice to see him back.
“But it’s 2017, he has to catch up and give us that little bit of motivation. “I was teasing him that he can’t keep up with us anymore even though we all
started by watching him do well.”
Simbine also had his say about the return of Mzansi’s six-time champion.
“It’s good to see him back and I’m keen to see if he can pose a real challenge against me,” Simbine said.
Magakwe made an emotional return as he got a standing ovation from his home crowd.
He clocked 10,40 seconds to win the 100m heats.
Magakwe finished second
behind Van Niekerk in the semi-finals.
But slipped and fell to finish last in the 100m final won by Simbine with 9,95 seconds.
Magakwe said: “The people still love me, it was emotional and I think I still have it.’’
Magakwe was training with Premier Soccer League outfit Platinum Stars to keep fit and nearly earned himself a
contract.
Magakwe added: “Due to the frustration of being out, I was considering turning into a
professional footballer, but, athletics is my first love.”
The former SA champion has been in the wilderness for too long, but he’s hoping to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in London in August.
During his two-year absence, the likes of Simbine, Anaso Jobodwana, Gift
Leotlela, Clarence Munyai, and Thando Roto became heads and shoulders above him as they have dipped under the sub-10 mark in competitive events.
“I won’t hang up my spikes and I’m determined to prove the doubters wrong. The current crop of youngsters don’t faze me, although I haven’t been running competitively, I’m in good condition,” he
added.
He says he’s ready to write a new chapter.

Get the best in Soccer, News and Lifestyle content with SNL24 PLUS
For 14 free days, you can have access to the best from Soccer Laduma, KickOff, Daily Sun, TrueLove and Drum. Thereafter you will be billed R29 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.
Subscribe to SNL24 PLUS
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
What do you value most personally?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Earning tons of money
21% - 5 votes
Career Progression
4% - 1 votes
Work-Life balance
75% - 18 votes
Vote
Let us know what you think

Contact the People’s Paper with feedback on stories and how we could make dailysun.co.za even better!

Learn more
Do you have a story for the People’s Paper?

Click below to contact our news desk and share your story with SunLand!

Let's do it!