"I want to thank everyone. They never gave up on me" - Mashele returning to full fitness after top ten at Absa MANGAUNG 10K
After almost two years blighted by recurring calf and hamstring injuries, Olympian Precious Mashele is finally enjoying a sustained period of good health and a string of promising performances as he works his way back to full fitness. At his peak, Mashele won five consecutive national cross-country titles and set the South African 10km record of 27:35 at the 2023 Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K. Following an encouraging fourth place finish at the hilly Waterfall Half Marathon 10km on 12 September, the Boxer Athletic Club top runner delivered another solid performance on 25 October when he clocked 30:19 to claim sixth position at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K.
"I was here to assess my fitness because I’ve been doing speed sessions for two weeks. I’m happy with my overall performance. Although I’m not yet back to full fitness, I stuck with my Boxer teammates (Kabelo Mulaudzi, Zenzile Pheko and Musawenkosi Mnisi) until halfway. It really shows I’m slowly getting back after my injuries," he told #TheTopRunner.
The 9-time SA champion admitted that, while he still has work to do to rediscover his best form, the prolonged injury setbacks took a significant mental toll.
“It was tough being on the sidelines. The injury affected me a lot because I remember during my preparation for this year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon at the UJ track with Kabelo Mulaudzi and Andries Sesedi, everything was perfect. But then the injury started again. It hurt me a lot that I wasn’t healing. But I told myself if it’s God’s will, let it be,” Mashele said.
Despite the frustration, giving up never crossed his mind. The Tokyo Olympian credited several people for standing by him throughout his recovery and helping him maintain a positive outlook.
“I want to thank everyone who was with me on my journey to recovery - my coach Richard Mayer, my training partners, as well as people like Glenrose Xaba, Lebogang Phalula and my physio in Parktown. Rhyn Swanepoel of Boxer also never gave up on me, while Michael Meyer of Stillwater Sports never forgot about me. There are others I may have forgotten, but their support is appreciated. I’m going to work harder to make myself and all of them proud.”
The 36-year-old also reflected on the difficult decision to leave his long-time training base at Zoo Lake and coach Hendrick Ramaala, who guided him to five national cross-country titles, the SA 10km record, four SA 10km titles, three SA 5000m titles and the Tokyo Olympics - just some of Mashele’s achievements during their decade-long partnership.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Zoo Lake, but I was forced by circumstances. I first talked to Mr Ramaala after seeing that the environment at Zoo Lake was no longer working for me. He understood and didn’t try to block me because he also saw that I needed a change. I want to thank him for all his wisdom and immense contribution to my career. I’m an Olympian because of him,” Mashele said.
Now injury-free, Mashele is focused on building his mileage and regaining the strength and shape needed to compete at his best. Although his long-term ambition is to make his much anticipated marathon debut, his immediate priority is the shorter distances, including the upcoming Boxer Super Run 5k Joburg, as he continues to rebuild his speed and fitness.
“I’m going to focus a bit more on the 10km to build my speed. My coach Richard Mayer and I decided that it would be a good idea to focus on the 10km at the moment and running a fast time and then I can move to the marathon once I have my strength and speed. I will run a few 10km races and half-marathons before moving to the full distance. If God allows me, I’m going to make my marathon debut at next year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.”
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