Michael Finch ATHLETICS
During the 1999 season, there were many certainties in South African athletics – South Africa’s 400m hurdling superstar Llewellyn Herbert would always win on home soil, Wendy Hartman was untouchable in the sprints, and the men’s 400m was a toss-up between Arnaud Malherbe or Jopie van Oudtshoorn.
Not surprisingly, the lure of an Olympic Games in September has ruffled the status quo, and South African athletics has been turned on its head during the opening Absa Series meetings, which end this weekend.
For the first time since he blasted on to the scene in 1995, Herbert was beaten on home soil by a local runner, Hartman found herself upstaged by a South African rarity – a black female sprinter – and former 200m specialist Marcus la Grange looks set to threaten the Van Oudtshoorn- Malherbe cabal.
So why such an upheaval of the form books? Two reasons.
For a start, the Herberts and Hartmans of this world have finally got it into their heads that Sydney in September is showdown time, not Rustenburg in February. That goes for pretty much every one of 1999’s heroes.
Herbert is still experimenting with stride patterns, and Hartman has just begun her speed work, while Malherbe and Van Oudtshoorn are just shaking off the cobwebs.
On the other side of the coin, that has given the likes of young Sowetan runner Dikeledi Moropane the chance to claim a few heads, and Hennie Botha the scalp of a superstar like Herbert; and La Grange has suddenly gained the confidence he needs over the one-lapper to be a serious threat when the South African championships roll by in the first week of March.
Of all the early season stars, La Grange looks the most likely to carry his form throughout the season. Having specialised in the 200m up until 1999, the nuggety Western Province athlete, who won three gold and one silver at last year’s nationals in Durban, may well have found a home in the 400m.
His speed over 200m is impressive in South African terms, but given that he has now twice achieved Athletics South Africa’s Olympic qualifying marks in the 400m, La Grange looks more capable of achieving international status over the longer distance.
La Grange’s aptitude over the distance will also add further strength to the possible selection of a medal-winning 4x400m relay team. With men such as Malherbe, Van Oudtshoorn, Herbert and the reborn Hendrik Mokganyetsi already established, La Grange’s presence could well secure South Africa their first major championship medal in September.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Heide Seyerling, a former world junior 200m champion, has also taken the same route as La Grange. Last year she tentatively dabbled into the 400m with some success and this year looks set to make a major impact. Ten days ago Seyerling clocked an impressive coastal time of 51,37 seconds to ensure a provisional seat on the Sydney plane. She can only go better.
In the field events, ponytailed hammerthrower Chris Harmse joined in the early season field event festival by breaking his own continental record by 19cm (76,28m), while there have been some impressive qualifying throws by Commonwealth Games shot-put champion Burger Lambrechts and discus king Frantz Kruger.
Seventeen-year-old Jacques Freitag also produced an outstanding performance in Stellenbosch, clearing 2,25m in the high jump – just 3cm short of the Olympic qualifying mark.
Not surprisingly, many of South Africa’s middle- and long-distance stars have yet to rise to the occasion. For them, build- up and training is a carefully planned science and although Shadrack Hoff and Hendrick Ramaala, South Africa’s best two middle-distance runners, produced an exciting finale to the 5 000m in Stellenbosch, they failed in a bid to break the Sydney qualifying mark.
However, there should be no worries there. If there is anyone who knows about pace and timing, it is the astute Ramaala. The fireworks will come from him later.
ENDS