South African 100m hurdles champion Marione Fourie made it clear in Luxembourg yesterday what her intentions are for 2025. It is to be fast, very fast.
She broke the South African indoor record in the 60m hurdles with her winning time of 7.91 seconds in the heats. She won the final in a time of 7.98 seconds. Both her times are faster than the previous record of 8.17 seconds set by Rikenette Steenkamp in 2020.
NEW SA RECORD! 🇿🇦🔥
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) January 20, 2025
Marione Fourie kicked off her season with a bang, setting a new South African 60m hurdles record during her indoor debut in Luxembourg!#TeamSA #ForMyCountry pic.twitter.com/FfsoexnCjC
It is interesting to note that Fourie is currently the second fastest athlete in the 60m hurdles. Masai Russell of the USA ran 7.89 seconds in Texas on Friday.
With her times, she qualified for the World Indoor Championships (21-23 March) in Nanjing, China. Last year, Fourie broke the South African record in the 100m hurdles to 12.49 seconds.
According to Jaun Strydom, her coach at Tuks, he is not too surprised that Fourie is already running so fast so early in the season.
"The times that Marione ran during training indicated she was ready to run a big race. I must confess that I was a little worried on the morning of the race. Marione complained that she felt nauseous. She also did not want to eat anything, and there was a moment when she thought about withdrawing. But it was only a moment. When we left for the track, she was entirely focused. As they say in the zone.
“🔥 Marione Fourie SMASHES South African 60m Hurdles Record! 🔥
— Athletics South Africa (@AthleticsSA_) January 20, 2025
In her indoor debut at the CMCM Indoor Meeting in Luxembourg, Marione Fourie clocked an electrifying 7.91 seconds, setting a new national record! 🇿🇦🏃♀️#MarioneFourie #SprintingToGlory #ProudlySouthAfrican pic.twitter.com/grzc4Gy6pA
Strydom ascribes speedy heroics to her being very disciplined and focused.
"What helps is that Marione utterly trusts me as her coach. She is also very driven. She wants to be one of the best. It helps that she has "BMT" (big match temperament). She is not allowing herself to be intimidated by her opponents's reputations. All that matters to her is to execute each to near perfection."
According to Strydom, there is a good reason why it was decided that Fourie should compete indoors.
"We are looking for that edge to ensure that Marione is fast enough in Tokyo in September to qualify for the final round of the 100m hurdles during the World Championships in Tokyo. By running indoors, she gets the chance to focus on the first 60 metres of the race. She competes tomorrow in Denmark."