'It feels good' - Zenzile Pheko joins Boxer AC as he gets over injury and targets cross country race in Botswana

Following an excellent season which saw him grab the silver medal in the senior men’s 10km race at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) Cross Country Championships in September, Zenzile Pheko has signed for one of South Africa's top professional clubs. The 20-year-old from Munsiville in Krugersdorp has been released by his development club Kopano AC to join the Boxer Athletic Club.

"It feels good," he told #TheTopRunner. "It has been my dream for a long time to see myself on top of the podium wearing the colours of a professional club," said the lanky soft-spoken athlete whose talent has been polished by Peter Letsholo with the guidance of renowned coach Tshepo Khoza.

Pheko (race number 30) has joined the Boxer Athletic Club. Photo Credit: Tobias Ginsberg.

Pheko who won the Old Eds 10km Road Race presented by Discovery Vitality back in August, joins South Africa's strongest 10km club to compete alongside the likes of Kabelo Mulaudzi, Elroy Gelant, Precious Mashele, Bennet Seloyi and Chris Mhlanga to name but a few. 

But rather than trying to outdo his more experienced teammates, he says his first order of business is attending to the injury that prevented him from securing a spot in the top five at the national cross country trials and so denied him a place in the SA Team to compete at the World Cross Country Championships in the United States in January 2026.

"I'm getting better, even though my injury isn't completely healed," he said after claiming a credible fourth position (14:39) at the inaugural Boxer Super Run Joburg 5k in Emmerentia on Sunday 9 November. "I started to feel some pain in my leg at the 3km mark, which forced me to slow down and let the chasing bunch go. But when we got to the 4km mark, I started to feel better and managed to close the gap."

Pheko took fourth position at the inaugural Boxer Super Run 5k, which boasts a total prize purse of R147 000 making it the richest 5km series in South Africa. Photo Credit: Tobias Ginsberg.

Pheko who is the reigning SA U23 5000m and 3000m champion, has decided to channel the disappointment of his exclusion from the SA World Cross Country Championships team into other avenues. He has been invited to take part in a cross country race in Botswana next month and is aiming to return with a positive result.

"The course at the national trials wasn't good for me because it had too many turns. I saw that I wouldn't qualify. It's okay though. I still have a lot of time. At least my coach informed me of an invitation to race a cross country meet in Botswana on the 13th of December, so I'm looking forward to that."