Mbulaeni Mulaudzi was so late for his presentation ceremony in Manchester last week that it had to be postponed until the following day. He claimed he got stuck in traffic, something his brilliant tactical nous allowed him no chance of doing in the 800m final. His victory was brilliant in its simplicity.
Against far more experienced opposition — the favourite Joseph Mutua is a former world junior gold medallist while Japhet Kimutai was not only the defending champion in 1998 but also the man in 1998 who ended the world record holder Wilson Kipketer’s long undefeated run –the young South African stood out like an old master. The 21-year-old ran the race of his life — a magnificent 10 out of 10.
So how did the other 12 athletes competing in individual events and their relay colleagues fare at the Commonwealth Games?
Josiah Bembe marathon eighth, 2:18:16, 3/10: He went with the leaders for the first half of the race but fell off the pace soon after and ended up finishing halfway down the field. A very mediocre run.
Shawn Bownes 110m hurdles first, 13,35sec, 10/10: He sprung the surprise of the track and field programme. Colin Jackson, seeking his third Commonwealth title in front of a patriotic British crowd, hit the first hurdle and never recovered. The South African, who’s had his problems in the past in finals when hurdling errors have cost him badly, was unflustered and won with ease in his fastest time of the season. Reward at last for the former Potchefstroom policeman.
Okkert Brits pole vault first, 5,75m, 10/10: Brits was written off years ago as a physical colossus who turns into a jibbering wreck when it comes to championship finals. Eight years ago in Victoria he no-heighted with the Commonwealth title at his mercy only to go on to London the following week and win the World Cup in atrocious conditions. But he hadn’t won since. In Manchester torrential rain almost forced the vault to be postponed. Brits was grateful it wasn’t and splashed his way down the runway and soared over the bar to his first significant victory in eight years. Let’s hope a career that had long gone sour has now been rejuvenated.
Frantz Kruger discus first, 66,39m, 10/10:Take your pick from a list of superlatives because this man is South Africa’s pre-eminent male athlete. Victory in Manchester was never in doubt despite the fact the young Free Stater’s medical studies demanded he make a flying visit to the north-west of England. Big heaves in qualifying and the final itself ensured an easy win and a games record. All that remains for him now is to go on and win one or both of the two global titles on offer, at the world championships or Olympic Games.
Marcus La Grange 400m eliminated in semifinals, 45,51sec, 4/10: He was the star of the domestic season running sub-45 seconds on a windy day in Durban. That appeared to set him up for a successful Commonwealth Games. But it wasn’t there in Manchester and he performed almost one second short of his best. In one of the most competitive events at the games he missed out on the final. It’s a lesson learnt for a young man — he’s still just 24 — who has much left to offer.
Joseph Maqala marathon 15th, 2:23:10, 1/10: Never in the hunt — he was one-and-a-half minutes behind the leaders at halfway — and just beat three men. Serious questions need to be asked about the preparation of our marathon runners for major championships. It should be one of our strongest events at every games but with the exception of Atlanta in 1996 has delivered little.
Morne Nagel 200m fifth, 20,35sec, 7/10: This 24 year-old from Pretoria is an outstanding prospect but his reputation has been unreasonably hyped amid the world media’s demand for a white man who can break 10 seconds for 100m. The vagaries of the South African selection process ensured he wasn’t even selected for the short sprint in Manchester and was made to look second rate in the 200m by greater men like Frankie Fredericks. This year our man left his best form on the indoor tracks of Europe but raised his game just in time to run well in Manchester. No medal, but it was one of the most competitive events at the games.
Janus Robberts shot second 19,97m, 6/10: Though he won silver the United States-based college student fell almost 2m short of his best in an event with precious little depth. For the second year running in a major championship he had the longest put in the qualifiying rounds but failed to build on that in the final. There will be immense pressure on him at next year’s world championships to produce the sort of form he apparently turns out at will during the American college season.
Veronica Abrahamse shot third, 16,77m, 7/10: In another event that was very thin, the South African came away with a medal but can’t have been happy with a performance that was almost 1m short of her best. Had she matched that then she would have won. But at 21 she will have benefited from the experience and can go on to greater things.
Hestrie Cloete high jump first, 1,96m, 10/10: Like Kruger, the 23-year-old from Coligny has that stamp of class that separates her from all but a handful of athletes at these games. The manner of her victory could not have been without less fuss though that was in part due to the mediocrity of the opposition. Let’s hope Athens in two years’ time will be her crowning glory.
Elizna Naude discus sixth, 55,41m, 4/10: She went into the event ranked fourth in the Commonwealth and fell short of expectations. Her best throw was also more than 5m down on her season’s best which, even considering the monsoon-like conditions from earlier in the day that left the throwing circle slippery, was disappointing.
Heide Seyerling 400m fifth, 52,87 (52,12 in semifinal), 2/10: This is a career in danger of slipping off the rails. A world junior champion in 1994, she took six years to find her feet in senior competition but did so brilliantly at the Olympic Games where she finished fifth. But in the past two seasons it’s slipped again and her performance in Manchester was very disappointing. Her run in the final was effectively 20m slower than it was in Sydney.
Men’s 4x100m (disqualified in heat), 0/10: The first baton change between Morne Nagel and Corne du Plessis was judged to have taken place outside the box. Du Plessis simply mistimed his run. Did he have any check marks on the track? If so, why then did he take no notice of them? Or, were they simply in the wrong place? Either way, they are both basic mistakes that raise questions about the coaching and pre- paration of the squad.
Men’s 4x400m squad fourth, 3:01.83 8/10: The squad was again selected with high expectations but, once again, failed to deliver a medal. On this occasion, injuries to Hendrick Mokganyetsi, Llewellyn Herbert and Alwyn Myburgh effectively ruled out any chance they had. But despite that they put up a sterling performance and, aided by the Jamaican anchorman’s dropping of the baton on the home straight, ran into a creditable fourth spot.