Holding on in a tightly contested battle, Bergvliet High School managed to come out on top in the boys and girls divisions at the Western Cape leg of the Track+Field high schools athletics series held at Dal Josafat Stadium in Paarl on Saturday.
In the girls' competition, Bergvliet raked in a total of 383 points, just 20 points more than Hoërskool Stellenbosch (363) in second place, while SACSSA WP (235) finished third.
Annelize Cloete, athletics coach at Bergvliet High School, was delighted with her team's performance as they qualified for the Track+Field National Final.
"It means a lot for us to compete in this Track+Field series. We've never done anything like this because we only really started our athletics programme about two years ago, so this is a first for us," Cloete said.
"This is great exposure for our kids because we're very secluded in the southern suburbs, so for us to be here is pretty big and it means a lot to us."
SHOWCASING THEIR TALENTS ON TV
In the boys division, Bergvliet secured a total of 443 points, while Stellenbosch again took the runner-up spot with 368 points, and SACSSA WP (292) ended third.
Though his team were edged out, Hoërskool Stellenbosch sprints and hurdles coach Alroy Dixon said they were pleased to have a chance to compete against some of the top schools in the Western Cape, and for the athletes to be able to showcase their talents on television, with the meeting having been broadcast live on SuperSport.
"This is a really great opportunity for our school to participate in this series against so many other athletes from different schools, and also for the kids to be on national television. I think it's amazing," Dixon said.
In individual events, Jesse Brooks (Bergvliet) produced the performance of the day, stopping the clock at 58.46 seconds in the U17 girls 400m race.
Alicia Festus was also in superb form, winning the U17 100m contest in 12.61 as she held off a challenge from her Stellenbosch teammate Haydan-Reese Cornelius who took second place in 12.67.
Cornelius turned the tables in the girls' U17 200m race, taking the win in 26.48 and crossing the line less than half a second ahead of Festus, who settled for second position in 26.97.
IMPRESSIVE LONG-JUMP PERFORMANCES
Among the boys, long jumpers stood out with some impressive performances.
Liam Cupido of Klein Nederberg Secondary School won the boys U17 long jump with a 6.78m leap, with Jack Loots (SACSSA WP) taking the runner-up spot after landing at 6.50m with his best attempt. Loots a regular high jumper opted to try the long jump in Paarl and in his first long jump event secured the impressive second place.
Sprinter Pehatric Witbooi (Bergvliet) also impressed with a standout performance, charging to victory in 50.81 seconds in the boys U17 400m race.
While the event was held in wet conditions in Paarl, series co-founder Mathew Quinn said they were pleased with the success of the meeting, as the Track+Field organisers continued to search for the top athletics school in South Africa while providing a platform for athletes to showcase their talent.
"The Track and Field series has been all around South Africa, and today we found ourselves looking for the best school in the Western Cape," Quinn said.
"Despite the wet conditions in Paarl, the performances were incredible, and Bergvliet and Stellenbosch were neck-and-neck most of the day, but in the end Berglviet were crowned champions in the boys and girls divisions, so congratulations to them.
"They will represent the Western Cape at the National Final where all the winners from each province will come together in a battle to become the No 1 athletics school in South Africa."