'Meli is one of the most disciplined athletes' - Mbambani praises Frans

"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." This was the quote that Melikhaya Frans shared moments after winning his first race outside South Africa. The Gqeberha-based top runner out-sprinted a quality field of East Africans to win the Rimi Riga Marathon in Latvia on Sunday 18 May in a time of 2:13:20 - just six seconds ahead of Kenya’s Nguse Amslosom (2:13:26) and a mere eight seconds before third placed Anthony Kipchirchir Koech crossed the finish line in 2:13:28. 

"This is a huge achievement Meli and as your team and supporters, we are absolutely proud of you. You’ve worked so hard, kept your head down and stayed the course. A special thank you to coach Mike Mbanbani. Your role is of great value. You create a supportive environment for your athletes and provide them access to basic but essential resources," said Frans’ Ikhamva Athletic Club in the wake of his breakthrough win.

The 2022 SA Half Marathon champion’s first international victory comes at exactly the right time for a man who has endured an up and down last few months. Although the 35-year-old impressed with a spirited performance at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon last October where he clocked 2:12:18 to take fifth position, a niggle forced him to withdraw from making his Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon debut in April.

"Last year, there was a time when things didn't go my way. I started to question my abilities. But after I ran well in Cape Town and managed to finish inside the top five, everything changed," he told #TheTopRunner.

Frans went on to a memorable 2:20:06 come-from-behind victory on home soil at the 1 Capital Marathon in Gqeberha last December, a record ninth triumph at the First Choice 15km in January and brushing off that Two Oceans disappointment, he bounced back with a top twenty finish at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K on 13 April. Mbambani believes that this performance is not only reward for Melikhaya’s determination and focus in training, but testament to the hard work being by his Ikhamva AC to unearth and support future champions in and around the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

"Meli is one of the most disciplined athletes I’ve ever met in this country. When Frans was rejected by his own family, that is how I started the camp. Remember that I take some of these athletes as athletes that were rejected at the Academy of Sport in the Eastern Cape because some didn’'t do Matric. I don’t doubt myself when it comes to patience. When I’ve taken a decision to start something, I need to finish it."