Okkert Brits, the South African pole-vault champion and record holder, recorded his best height of 2005 at a special pole-vault contest in Bellville over the weekend when he cleared an excellent 5,65m.
It was his first competition since winning the national title in Durban in April with a modest 5,2m.
The 32-year-old Stellenbosch-based star is determined to retain his Commonwealth Games title in Melbourne in March.
His victory in Bellville placed him in fourth place on the 2005 Commonwealth best-performance list behind three Australian athletes. Francois Coetzer of Stellenbosch and Brent Howell, the South African junior champion of Bellville, finished second and third with jumps of 4,9m and 4,7m.
National champion Lindie Roux of Boland won the women’s event with a personal best of 5,05m. — Sapa