“I want to prove that the steeplechase is not difficult” – Anele Matsoso eyes World Juniors

Junior middle distance athlete Anele Matsoso has transitioned to the steeplechase as he has his sights set on qualifying for the World Athletics (WA) Junior Championships in Oregon in August. The Athletics Vaal Triangle (AVT) athlete, a 5000m track runner with a 15:37 PB, will attempt to secure qualification for the 3000m steeplechase and believes he’s in the right shape to meet the 09:00 qualifying standard set by WA.

“I’m looking at the 3000m steeplechase to qualify for the Oregon U20 world champs. Most people find it difficult to run the 3000m steeplechase and are unable to run the WA qualifying time. I want to prove to them that it’s possible,” Matsoso told #TheTopRunner.

Matsoso has transitioned to the steeplechase in attempt to qualify for the World juniors in August. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

Matsoso and his coach, Mohao Malise, made the decision to prioritise the steeplechase this season after realising the athlete has the flair for the taxing discipline. Although he clocked 09:46.51 in his first steeple race of the season on January 31, the Masai Athletic Club rising star conceded that it would take effort and discipline to clock a flat 09:00. While the 18-year old admitted steeple is a challenging race, the training camps in Limpopo and Pretoria in December with 800m legend Castor Semenya’s group, were crucial role in refining his technique over the barriers, in particular the water jump.

“We worked on all the barriers, learning to land on the correct leg and then transition smoothly back onto the track. We did that during the camp and continued to work on the technique when I went back home to the Vaal,” he said.

Matsoso, a learner at Kahobotjha-Sakabusha Secondary School in Zamdela, Sasolburg, was one of the fresh faces in the team that represented the country at the World Cross Country Championships in the United States last month. Though the demanding course in Tallahassee, Florida – a mixture of water splashes, s – stretched Matsoso in ways no terrain in South Africa has, he still ran 27:41 in the junior men’s 8km race to grab 58th place. He said the race served as good preparation for the steeplechase.

Anele Matsoso was part of the team that represented the country at the World Cross-country championships in Tallahassee, Florida in the United States in January. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

“The valuable lesson was withstanding pain and being able to finish no matter the circumstances. We are not used to running cross races on courses like that. The course had water, sand, mud, hills and we jumped over barriers but we ran well as a team.”

That experience has opened Matsoso’s eyes to what will be required of him if he is to earn a place in the South African team and return to the United States for the World Juniors. Acknowledging the tough nature of the steeplechase, he believes that with hard work and commitment, he can follow in the footsteps of the discipline’s greats like Ruben Ramolefi, Tumisang Monnatlala and Shadrack Mogotsi.

“If I qualify for the WA U20 champs, I will target a top 10 finish so that my peers can see that the steeplechase is not difficult, as long as you believe in yourself.”