'Hard work is the main thing' – Casper de Villiers on Athletics Free State's development success

The Athletics Free State (AFS) development programme stole the spotlight at the recent ASA cross-country championships in Middelburg, with the province's age-group athletes among some of the best performers at the event. It's payoff for years of relentless scouting and investment in junior talent in a semi-rural province where, outside of education, athletics is one of the few lifelines for youngsters to rise above poverty. Bethlehem-based coach Casper de Villiers credited their success to scouting raw talent from rural townships such as Botshabelo, Meqheleng in Ficksburg and Matwabeng in Senekal.

"A lot of people don't know the amount of work that goes into this. Most of our athletes come from rural areas. We are not concentrated in one place. We have talent identification competitions and then work with all the athletes we've identified – not just the talented ones but also the ones we see could potentially succeed with extra training.  The big thing is motivation for the athletes to come to training," De Villiers explained.

Molantwa Mokone led an AFS top two in the U9 boys' 2km with Andries van Rooyen second, while Athletics Gauteng North's Prinsloo Els was third. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

While provinces such as CGA and AGN benefit from having athletes within driving distance, which makes travelling to events easier, De Villiers attributed much of the AFS' success to their close collaboration with schools, which function as junior clubs and provide essential resources, including transport for athletes to and from competitions across the province.

“Provinces like AGN and CGA have it easier than us because everything is concentrated in one area, our regions are far apart. Hard work is the main thing and we also dedicate money and time into each athlete. We also rely heavily on the schools. Our cross-country track is in Bethlehem. The schools must bring everyone to the venue. Our schools are registered as junior clubs so that athletes can be easily transported to events using school transport."

 Athletics Free State's Amohelang Mokone and Rianza Solette Boshoff finished first and second in the U9 girls' 2km. Nolwazi Magwaza of CGA was third. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

This commitment to development has put Free State athletes on the radar of scouts, with lanky middle-distance sensation Mantle Tshehlana snapped up by Pretoria-based athletics powerhouse Curro Hazeldean after last year's sub-youth track and field nationals in Bloemfontein.

"The coaches in Free State work very hard with their athletes. I'm a proud product of their commitment, hard work and dedication to this sport," Tshehlana told #TheTopRunner.

de Villiers poses with one of his athletes Johnathan Matthew after a successful Athletics South Africa (ASA) Sub-Youth Track & Field Championships in Bloemfontein in December 2024. Matthew won the Boys U11 1200m in 3:39.11. Photo Credit: Supplied.

Reflecting on the AFS athletes' performances at the cross-country nationals, De Villiers said he was proud of them for pushing through the pain to deliver success for the province. "I'm proud of all of them – the gold medallists, the ones who finished 10^th and those that crossed the line in 30^th place because I know they gave it their best."