'I was born for sprinting' - Talented teen Rumé Burger reflects on SA Champs success
- Lebohang Pita
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
National 200m champion Rumé Burger demonstrated the importance of believing in one’s abilities when she stunned her seniors at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Senior Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom in April. The 17-year old demonstrated her drive and determination to win the women's half-lap dash in 23.49, two days after clocking 11.58 to take third place in the 100m. Fuelled with desire and determination, the Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje Grade 11 learner arrived in Potchefstroom for three days of competition as a no contender. But at the end of Day One, she stood tall on the podium with a bronze medal around her neck - a remarkable achievement considering she raced against the seniors.

"My goal was to learn how to run in big competitions like the nationals. How to deal with nerves and to not be intimidated by Olympians warming up beside me. It took me two days. But on the third day in the 200m final, I was mentally ready," she told #TheTopRunner.
Already the U18 women's 200m champion and silver medallist in the 100m thanks to her exploits at the ASA age-group Champs in Cape Town in March, Burger had her sights on a top five finish in both short sprint events. As she showed inside the Ken McArthur Stadium, she's not someone to walk in fear. Her competitive nature does not allow that mindset and she takes on every challenge head-on. The Free State athlete says her fearlessness is derived from her love for the sport.

"I feel like I was born with the love for sprinting. Since I can remember, I've always wanted to run. The love for track grew from putting in the hard work and seeing the results. Seeing my improvement every season is indescribable," said Burger who is the daughter of former Springbok Sevens player Phillip Burger who wept with joy as he watched his daughter claim the gold medal in Potchefstroom.
"For Rumé, it’s all about doing what she loves. When that’s the case, you never lose interest in doing it. This only comes when children aren't pushed to satisfy the parents' passion. In Rumè’s case, she just loves running," he said.

The athlete, who looks up to 400m hurdles queen Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and world men’s 400m record holder, Wayde van Niekerk, has set her sights on next year’s World Athletics (WA) Junior Championships in the USA and the Youth Olympics in Dakar. Asked if she would take the challenge should she be called into the women’s 100m relay team, she said it would be an amazing opportunity to start her on her journey towards representing South Africa at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles..
"I would be honoured to be able to run relays with amazing athletes like Gabriella Marais, Viwe Jingqi and Jovialle Mbisha. I’m ready to compete wherever they need me. Women’s athletics in SA is definitely making a turn for the best. Hopefully we can follow in the footsteps of the amazing male athletes. My short-term goal is to run at the world juniors in Eugene, Oregon, and the Junior Olympics in Dakar, next year. Both will be in my Matric year but I will make it work. The Olympics is definitely the long-term goal."
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