Akani, Wayde to lead fireworks in men's events at ASA senior champs

Akani Simbine and Wayde van Niekerk are the poster boys expected to light up the track, amid tight battles at the ASA Senior Track and Field, Combined Events and Relay Championships which will be held at Msunduzi Athletics Stadium in Pietermaritzburg from Thursday to Sunday (18-21 April, 2024).

Across the board, this week will see the country's top male athletes chase the coveted national titles at the KwaZulu-Natal venue.

In the sprints, SA's fastest men will need to be on their toes if they want to step on the podium and all eyes will be on Simbine and Van Niekerk.

For the 100m crown, the entry lists are packed, headlined by national record holder Simbine who lines up in the colours of Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA).

He will face the likes of junior teammate Neo Modibe and versatile athlete Cheswill Johnson (also CGA), as well as a strong contingent from Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) including Gift Leotlela, Thembo Monareng and 18 year-old prospect Bayanda Walaza.

NATIONAL BEST

Simbine has already shown his class on the domestic circuit this year, setting a national 150m best of 15.04 seconds at the Backtrack Classic Shootout in Tshwane in February, and clocking 20.32 to take second place behind Botswana's Letsile Tebogo in a rare appearance over the 200m distance at the third leg of the ASA Athletics Grand Prix Series in Johannesburg last month.

Gearing up for his first 100m race of the year at the ASA Senior Championships, Simbine said he was focussed on retaining his national title before starting his build-up to the Paris Olympics on the international circuit.

"My next race is at nationals and I want to make sure I get the job done there," Simbine said after the Grand Prix in Johannesburg. "I'll be going back to the 100m at the SA Championships because I need to defend my title."

WVN RUNS THE 200m

Over the 200m distance, all eyes will be on 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk, a former national record holder and World Championships medallist over the half-lap distance. Van Niekerk will need to find his top gear if he hopes to clinch gold for Boland Athletics (BOLA).

His opponents include SA 200m record holder Clarence Munyai, Sinesipho Dambile and Walaza, who will all turn up for AGN. Rising stars Richardson and Modibe are also expected to be in the hunt in the 200m as well.

The 400m event is going to be tough, even without Van Niekerk in the field. Zakithi Nene, who won a Diamond League race last year, will be more than eager to shine for host province KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA).

Nene, however, will not have things all his own way against a super line-up of one-lap specialists which also features former world junior champion Lythe Pillay and his CGA teammates Thapelo Phora and Sokwakhana Zazini, as well as Gardeo Isaacs from Western Province Athletics (WPA).

5K THRILLER

A thrilling race is expected among the distance runners in the men's 5 000m event, with a world-class field converging at the starting line.

National record holder Adrian WIldschutt returns home from his base in the United States for a rare appearance on SA soil. He will run in the colours of WPA. WIldschutt is up against the likes of CGA quartet of Ryan Mphahlele, Maxime Chaumeton, Precious Mashele and Tsepho Tshite, alongside former SA record holder Elroy Gelant and his ACNW teammate Jerry Motsau.

Other athletes to watch on the track include in-form 400m hurdler Le Roux Hamman (AGN) who goes up against African champion Zazini in their specialist event.

African record holder Antonio Alkana will also be hoping to put up a fight and dominate a handful of promising young athletes in the men's 110m hurdles.

HOW LONG?

In the field events, more fireworks are predicted in the men's long jump competition.

The appertising line-up features Jovan van Vuuren (AGN), who has already landed at 8.30m this season and former World Championships medallist Ruswahl Samaai (BOLA).

They will need to beat the likes of Asande Mthembu (AGN) and Johnson, who is as capable in the long jump as he is in the 100m sprint.

Without doubt, the high jump contest will also attract a great deal of interest, with another strong field in the offing. Former World U20 Championships medallist Brian Raats is among the favourites, along with ACNW teammate Mpho Links. Breyton Poole (BOLA), a former World U18 Championships champion, will also put up a fight for the gold medal.

Other athletes who are expected to stand out in field events are Olympic finalist Kyle Blignaut and Jason van Rooyen, with the CGA stars likely to continue their domestic rivalry.

Hammer throw specialists Tshepang Makhethe of Athletics Free State (AFS) and Alan Cumming (BOLA) have also produced some hard-fought battles in recent years and they too should have the crowd on its feet.

Former World Championships finalist Victor Hogan (BOLA) is the favourite for the discus throw title and Valco van Wyk should produce some more entertainment for the spectators in the pole vault.