South Africa’s top athletes were bitterly disappointed when unpleasant conditions spoilt all their chances to use the fourth Absa Series meeting as an opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Ockert Cilliers, the star 400m hurdler in South Africa this year, ran yet another brilliant race to continue his unbeaten run of the year with authority against the best South Africa can offer. His winning time was a very fast 48,76 seconds and the only Olympic qualifying mark on the day.
He and Alwyn Myburgh ran stride for stride until entering the final straight when Cilliers managed to move away for a convincing victory.
It was the undoubted highlight of the evening. Myburgh was second in 49,50 seconds followed by Llewellyn Herbert (49,96), junior Wouter le Roux (50,10), Marnus Kritzinger, Hennie Botha and LJ van Zyl.
Hestrie Cloete, the world high-jump champion, also showed her class by winning with a more-than-respectable 1,9m.
Victory in the much-awaited 1 500m went to Clyde Colenso of Mr Price who was the only runner who went out with pacer Werner Botha.
He opened a big gap and although Johan Cronje made a determined effort to catch him he waited far too long.
Colenso won in three minutes 42,7 seconds against the 3:43,41 of Cronje who seemed to be getting into shape after a long layoff through injury.
Finishing third, young Peter van der Westhuizen of Rentmeester-Tuks recorded a personal best of 3:45,53.
The women’s 1 500m saw Rene Kalmer stamping her authority by winning in style in four minutes and 19,58 seconds.
The tightest race of the evening was in the 5 000m where Shadrack Hoff, winning after a long lay-off, managed to hold off the tenacious Hendrick Ramaala who had just returned from Puerto Rico the day before. He time was just below 13 minutes and 58,09 seconds.
Estie Wittstock, of RAU, who just failed to qualify for the Olympic Games in the 400m last Saturday, did exceptionally well to clock a respectable time of 53,6 seconds and winning by the proverbial mile. She said afterwards that she enjoyed the race although her legs felt a bit stiff in the backstraight.
Heide Seyerling, her main rival in the 400m, contested the 200m and won easily in a time of 23,91 seconds, with Janice Josephs finishing second.
The meeting started on a high note when Nicolene Cronje of Rand Afrikaans University set a brilliant new South African record of 22 minutes and 19,68 seconds in the 5 000m walk.
It was an excellent performance considering that she walked in pouring rain while a very strong wind was blowing. The time exceeded Susan Vermeulen’s record of 23:15,51, set six years ago at Stellenbosch, by almost a full minute.
The sprinters, running into the wind of between 2m and 4m strong, stood no chance and had to settle for winning times of 11,92 seconds (Geraldine Pillay) and 10,90 seconds (Sherwin Vries).
Morne Nagel ran in his first Absa meeting of the year and finished fourth.
Snyman Prinsloo of Free State University did well to keep Leigh Julius out of the second position.
For the third time in four outings in the Absa Series the pole vault was cancelled because of the atrocious weather. — Sapa