Mark Ouma OLYMPICS In a country where rugby, cricket, and football are the best-paying sports disciplines – and monopolise media attention – it is unusual for anyone to abandon one of the “big three” for a so- called small sport. But a conscious decision to opt for athletics over rugby has produced one of South Africa’s most promising athletes. Unlike many potential rugby stars before him, 19-year-old John Sullivan has chosen to pursue excellence in the shot put. This focused approach was rewarded when he clinched a silver medal at the Africa Track and Field Championships in Algiers. “I do not think l will play rugby again. After completing my studies at Waterkloof High School last year, it became clear to me that l had to make a choice between playing rugby or shot put,” says Sullivan. “At senior level, it was not going to be possible to combine the training and competition schedules of both disciplines. I have chosen athletics, where l hope to build a successful career. This is an individual sport, where if you work hard you reap the rewards.” A bronze medallist at the inaugural World Youth Games in Moscow two years ago, Sullivan says his debut at a senior international competition has set him on a sound footing. “Besides winning a silver medal in Algiers, l was able to improve my career best from 17,22m to 17,46m. “I have now achieved the qualifying standard for the World Junior Championships. It would be great to wind up my years as a junior with a medal in Chile,” said the first-year sports management student at the University of Pretoria.
While the IAAF boys’ shot-put qualifying standard is 16m, Athletics South Africa (ASA) sets a stringent standard of 17,46m for its track and field hopefuls. Says ASA development manager Richard Stander: “Sullivan is among the 62 athletes on the ASA provisional squad for Chile. They achieved the IAAF qualifying standard during our domestic season, which ended in April.
“We are giving them as many chances as we can to prove their competition fitness at various international meetings. Besides, we are also offering them an opportunity to gain international exposure. We aim to send a medal-winning team to Chile.”