South Africa’s track and field athletes achieved a series of strong results across several World Athletics Continental Tour meetings over the past week, maintaining the steady form built earlier in the campaign. Following recent podium performances at both the Doha Diamond League, where Sinesipho Dambile claimed victory and Prudence Sekgodiso delivered a determined performance, and the Ostrava Golden Spike, where Bayanda Walaza ran a 9.94 to win the men’s 100m. The national contingent wrapped up another productive week of international competition with a memorable showing in the Netherlands.
The week’s action concluded today at the FBK Games in Hengelo, highlighted by a close photo finish in the Men’s 100m.
Sprints: Simbine and Nkoana Lead Short-Sprint Success
At the FBK Games in Hengelo, South Africa’s short-sprint depth was evident. Facing a notable -1.8 m/s headwind, national record holder Akani Simbine and his 4x100m South African relay’s partner Bradley Nkoana crossed the finish line together, both clocking 10.08 seconds. After a visual review, Simbine was awarded 1st place with Nkoana taking a close 2nd, mirroring the competitive edge shown a few days earlier by Dambile in Doha.
Earlier in the week, South African sprinters also performed well at the Meeting International Montgeron-Essonne in Montgeron. Nineteen-year-old Marko Ferreira won the final in 10.04 seconds, followed closely by Emile Erasmus in 2nd place with a time of 10.05 seconds. Erasmus had also recorded a 2nd-place finish (10.18s) a few days prior at the Meeting International de Montreuil in Montreuil. At the Anhalt Meeting in Dessau, Abdurahman Karriem added to the sprint results by taking 3rd place in 10.15 seconds.
Over 400 metres, South African quarter-milers secured positive marks in Dessau. Mthi Mthimkulu won his final section in 44.75 seconds, while Gardeo Isaacs finished 2nd in his respective section with a time of 45.30 seconds. Additionally, Lesley Mahlakoane placed 3rd (46.42s) at the Motonet GP in Kuortane, and Sihle Mahlangu finished 5th (46.54s) at the ATX Classic in Georgetown Texas. Ntiyiso Nkanyani rounded out the sprint results with a 3rd-place finish (48.61s) at the COSMA Cup.
Hurdles: Consistent Performances on the Track
In the hurdles, veteran competitor Antonio Alkana demonstrated consistency on the European circuit. Alkana claimed back-to-back podium placements, finishing 2nd in Montreuil (13.37s) and backing it up with a 3rd-place performance in Montgeron(13.37s). In the same Montgeron race, Mondray Barnard finished 7th in 13.75 seconds. At the ATX Classic in Georgetown John Adesola placed 4th in 13.42 seconds.
The long-hurdle results were also encouraging. Sabelo Dhlamini secured 2nd place in Kuortane with a time of 49.52 seconds, while Zenéy Geldenhuys earned a 3rd-place finish at the ATX Classic, clocking 56.92 seconds in the Women’s 400m hurdles. In Hengelo, national record holder Marione Fourie finished just outside the podium spots, taking 4th place in a competitive Women’s 100m hurdles field in 12.71 seconds.
Field Events: Solid Marks in Jumps and Throws
South Africa’s field athletes contributed several notable performances over the weekend. Javelin thrower Douw Smit produced a strong effort at the Anhalt Meeting in Dessau, winning the competition with a significant mark of 84.79m ahead of German veteran Thomas Röhler.
In the long jump, Divan Manuel won his event in Dessau a best leap of 7.84m. At the Tag der Überflieger street meet in Essen, Luvo Manyonga continued his competitive return, jumping 8.04m to claim 2nd place.
In the heavy throws, Aiden Smith launched a 20.28m effort to finish 2nd in the Shot Put at the Festival Lancers in Salon-de-Provence. In the vertical jumps, young pole vaulter Ansume de Beer placed 2nd in Jõhvi with a clearance of 4.27m before tying for 7th in Essen (4.25m). Kyle Rademeyer cleared 5.43m for 3rd in Jõhvi and 5.30m for 10th in Dessau, while Breyton Poole cleared 2.15m to finish 10th in the Essen high jump.
Distance Events: Steady Progress in Competitive Fields
The middle and long-distance athletes showed steady progress as they faced competitive international fields. Maxime Chaumeton delivered a strong performance at the Meeting International de Montreuil, clocking 7:44.08 to take 2nd place in the Men’s 3000m.
In the 1500m, Luan Munnik stayed in contention against a strong field at the FBK Games in Hengelo, finishing 5th with a time of 3:34.30. Meanwhile, Danielle Verster completed a busy stretch of racing, finishing 11th in the 1500m in Montreuil (4:12.27) before bouncing back to secure a 3rd-place podium finish in the 3000m at Kuortane in 9:09.33.
Concluding the distance entries, Edmund du Plessis finished 8th in a tactical 800m in Dessau (1:48.93), and Siboniso Soldaka placed 19th in a large 3000m Steeplechase field at Track Night Vienna (8:52.92).
With multiple athletes achieving podium placements and solid season marks across several disciplines, South African track and field continues on a stable upward trajectory heading deeper into the international season.
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