'I knew I could go much quicker' - Chelsea van Dyk smashes U16 steeplechase record by over 10 seconds & eyes World Juniors

Record breaker Chelsea van Dyk has set her sights on earning her national colours after rewriting the South African U16 girls' 1500m record. The Benoni Northerns Athletic Club top runner opened her season with a blistering performance, clocking 4:50.34 in the U16 girls' 1500m steeplechase at the at the first Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) track and field league meeting of the season at the Germiston Stadium on January 31. She eclipsed the previous national record of 5:01.44, set by Isabella van der Merwe at last year’s ASA U16, U18, U20 and U23 championships in Cape Town, 11.1 seconds.

"I haven't run a steeplechase race in almost a year. I didn't know where I was at, but based off the times I ran last year, I knew I could go much quicker in the shape I am in. Once I knew what it was, I felt it possible to go for it. I went for it," said van Dyk who first made a name for herself two years ago as the fastest U13 1500m girl in South Africa.

van Dyk competes in the 1500m steeplechase at the opening CGA track and field league meeting on Saturday at Germiston Stadium. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

The 1500m specialist, coached by Michael van Aswegen, enjoyed phenomenal 2025 on the track. She won the metric mile and 3000m titles at the nationals at Green Point Stadium, winning the 1500m in 04:22.34, which was the fastest time for any U16, U18 and U20 in the country.

Those performances earned van Dyk national recognition and she was selected for the South African team that took part in the Confederation of School Sport Association of Southern Africa (COSSASA) Games in Eswatini last August. Now the teenager is eyeing the World Athletics Junior Championships and Youth Olympics, saying that to compete against the world's best would be a dream come true, and she’s determined to turn that dream into a reality later this year.

Top of van Dyk's goal list for 2026 is to earn a place in the teams that will represent SA at the Youth Olympics and World Athletics U20 Championships. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

"I'm thinking towards that. They are definitely top of my goals list. I've only been picked for one SA team so far. To build on that would be amazing," she told #TheTopRunner. "It's obviously a huge honour to represent your country. But representing the country at such huge championships is almost unthinkable. It’s something that when you think about, it seems impossible. To know that I’m close and am able to achieve that makes me excited just thinking about it."

With her current form, Van Dyk, a Grade Nine learner at St Dunstan's College in Benoni, will likely go faster in the 1500m but her immediate goal is defending both her titles at the national championships in March.

"I'm definitely going to be defending my titles and also working on a few other things like the steeplechase and 800m. And I've got a few more surprises."