Amid a string of dazzling track performances from Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, Geraldine Pillay, Alwyn Myburgh and Leigh Julius, a cloud of concern hung over Jacques Freitag, who struggled with a sore back and managed a 2,25m winning clearance at the final Absa Series meeting at Pilditch in Pretoria on Friday night.
First the dazzle. Mulaudzi, the silver-medal winner at the Athens Olympics, was mercurial so early in the season with his 1:44,65 800m win that rates as an Absa Series record. Werner Botha was second in 1:45,62.
”I planned to go for a fast time at this stage. It gives me a confidence boost. Now I’ve got the time to go for the world champs, it means I can just focus on winning at the nationals [in Durban in April],” Mulaudzi said.
Zimbabwean Talkmore Nyongani blazed to a superb 44,96-second 400m victory, but the athlete who eclipsed his effort was Pretoria Boys’ High matric learner Oscar Pistorius, who ran a world-record 47,37 seconds for double leg amputees.
Pillay equalled her personal best of 100m, then celebrated her entry into the International Association of Athletics Federations world athletics championships in the 200m for the first time this season with 22,80 seconds against the 23,17 seconds by Janice Josephs.
Pillay won the 100m in an 11,20-second world championship qualifier, a touch ahead of pentathlete Josephs, who held off Wendy Seegers for second in 11,36. Seegers ran 11,60.
”I’m planning to go quicker at the nationals, but I’m making no predictions,” said Pillay. ”I so wanted to make the world champs qualifiers in both events and I’m thrilled that I made it. I feel I can definitely go faster.”
Myburgh kept his nose ahead in the 400m hurdles once again with 49,01 seconds, ahead of South African record-holder Llewellyn Herbert (49,36).
”I’m happy with my consistency,” he said.
Leigh Julius edged a tight 100m race in 10,34 seconds to beat Jean du Randt and Sherwin Vries, who deadheated for second at 10,39. He followed up with a 20,48-second victory in the 200m against the 20,60 set by Morne Nagel and 20,85 by Vries.
”Competition is very tough out there,” he said. ”It’s pushing us to faster times. It’s the guy who’s in better shape mentally at nationals who will win the title. There’s lots of pressure because I’m the defending champion in the 100m and 200m.”
But for Freitag, who is working up to defending his world title in Helsinki in August, it was a return to treatment after his 2,25m came from his second jump. It was his only clearance of the night and there was clearly a problem considering his 2,38m Africa record at the Oudtshoorn meeting a fortnight ago.
”I was worried about the back problem earlier in the week,” said Freitag. ”I was being treated and thought it would come right by Friday.”
Surita Febbraio was a touch disappointed after her solo race up front for her 56,10-second win in the 400m hurdles.
”I lost my rhythm over the last two hurdles,” she said. ”Having no competition makes it tough. I went out too slow at Stellenbosch, now tonight I went out too fast and struggled over the last two hurdles.”
Mari-Louise Romijn retained her unbeaten record in the women’s 800m for the Absa Series with a solid 2:04,68 win against Marle Breytenbach (2:05,40).
”I was happy with that,” she said. ”I’ve been sick for two weeks and I didn’t feel that great. But it’s fantastic to have won all the 800s in the series. I’d love to go under two minutes at nationals.”
Hennie Kotze won the 110m hurdles in 14,01 seconds, dipping ahead of Ruan de Vries (14,08), in the absence of Shaun Bownes, who was injured in Stellenbosch.
Khotso Mokoena set an Absa meet record 16,89m in the triple-jump, while Heide Seyerling won the 400m for women in 51,79 seconds. — Sapa