The South African selectors have come up with a good mix of=20 youth and experience in the team for the world=20
ATHELTICS: Julian Drew
WITH the naming of the team for the world athletics=20 championships in Gothenburg in August the Athletics South=20 Africa (ASA) selectors finally seem to have the measure of=20 their task with a well-balanced team of youth and=20
The squad of 21 athletes and four reserves, who have yet to=20 achieve the “A” qualifying standard, includes those who=20 have a real chance of doing well along with a number of=20 talented youngsters who will gain immensely from their=20 experiences in Gothenburg. This can only assist in the=20 future when they are expected to be real medal prospects.
This is the kind of forward thinking policy the sport has=20 been crying out for and it is perhaps no coincidence that=20 it has only been applied with the arrival of a new=20 administration for the sport.=20
ASA originally announced that it would only name a squad of=20 athletes after last Saturday’s test match against Kenya and=20 Italy with the final team being named in July. Thankfully=20 the 21 athletes named last weekend know they can now=20 prepare for Gothenburg and the reserves know that they must=20 achieve a qualifying mark before mid-July to be included in=20 the team.
That leaves no doubts in the minds of athletes and allows=20 them to focus on the tasks ahead without unnecessary=20
One of the most positive aspects of the team selection is=20 the absence of any athletes from the explosive events who=20 have acheived qualifying marks at altitude. This has long=20 been a bone of contention within athletics and in the past=20 when such athletes have been selected they have generally=20 failed to perform well at sea level in the major=20
The thin air at altitude offers less resistance to the=20 human body in the shorter sprint events (distances of 400m=20 and below) and horizontal jumps and there are generally=20 accepted formulae to adjust altitude marks to their=20 equivalents at sea level. These were never used in the=20 past, but our athletes can now take comfort from the fact=20 that all the events are being judged fairly.
Twenty one South African athletes, excluding the marathon=20 runners, met the “A” qualifying standard for Gothenburg (16=20 men and five women) and six were excluded because their=20 marks at altitude would not meet the standard if converted=20 to a sea level equivalent. Perhaps the best illustration of=20 the policy is in the men’s 400m hurdles where both Grant=20 Roberts (49.96) and Ferrins Pieterse (50.01) bettered the=20 qualifying mark of 50.04 seconds but did not make the team. =20
Their colleague Johan Steynberg, at 23 the youngest of the=20 top hurdlers, ran 50.26 in winning the national title in=20 Durban which is the fastest sea level time of the year and=20 he has been named as a reserve. =20
Two athletes who can perhaps consider themselves unlucky=20 are 800m runner Johan Botha and hammer thrower Rumen=20 Koprivchen who both made the “A” standard but are not in=20 the team. Botha is just 20 years old and is the second=20 fastest athlete in the event where South Africa has its=20 greatest depth of talent. He also finished second at the=20 national championships and there is absolutely no reason=20 for him to have been omitted from the team.=20
Koprivchen, a former Bulgarian citizen, competed for South=20 Africa for the first time last Saturday and by so doing=20 gave up the chance of being selected for Bulgaria. That is=20 no reward for someone who has just demonstrated his=20 allegiance to his adopted country.
Both Frits Potgieter and Heidi Seyerling were included in=20 the team with “B” qualifying marks (a lower standard which=20 allows a country to enter one athlete in an event if it has=20 no “A” standard qualifiers). Such a decision is certainly=20 to be applauded because they are two of our brightest=20 future prospects. Twenty-one-year-old Potgieter is a former=20 world junior silver medallist in the discus and has beaten=20 the world number one twice this year. He has thrown 61.66m=20 and is just 34cm short of the “A” standard. =20
Seyerling is the reigning world junior 200m champion and=20 has beaten the “B” standard of 23.54 twice at sea level.=20 She demonsrated last year in Lisbon that she can peak for=20 the big occasion when she ran a superb, although wind=20 assisted, 22.80 seconds.=20
It would perhaps have been prudent for the selectors to=20 have pursued the youth policy even more vigorously provided=20 it was applied wisely, as in the case of teenage sensation=20 Riaan Dempers. He was only entered in the 200m and not the =20 400m as well where he has also qualified.=20
Esmari le Roux (19) in the 100m and 18-year-old Odette Nel=20 both have “B” qualifying marks and could have been entered=20 as there are no “A” qualifiers in those events.=20
Perhaps the unluckiest young athlete is the brilliant 16- year-old Lichtenburg schoolgirl Hestrie Storbeck who just=20 keeps on improving. She raised her personal best in the=20 high jump to 1.89m in last week’s Test match which is=20 higher than the “B” standard of 1.87m. Unfortunately for=20 her we also have Desire du Plessis who has beaten the “A”=20 standard and has rightly been selected. =20
The only real anomally in the team is Sam Tlala who has=20 been included in the 4x400m relay squad. He has only run=20 47.16 at altitude and 48.11 at the coast and should=20 certainly be replaced by Alfred Visagie who has at least=20 bettered the “B” standard of 46.44 and is only 22 years of=20 age. There is no need to select Tlala to add more colour=20 to the team as there are already seven black athletes in=20 the team of 21 with the possibility of more being added.=20
If one of the other relay athletes gets injured we will=20 certainly not be able to say we have our best possible team=20 competing. We would do better in trying to address the very=20 valid desire of Sports Minister Steve Tshwete to see a more=20 demographically representative team by offering our=20 talented distance athletes more chances to qualify.
Tlala’s inclusion does nothing for the sport, providing=20 talent with opportunities does.