Simbine, Leotlela go through & African Record for Mixed 4x400m - Team SA start well on Day 1 of World Championships

Day one of the World Athletics Championships delivered mixed results for Team South Africa as the hunt for the nation's first World Champs medal since 2017 continues. First to don the green and gold in competition was race walker Jessica Groenewald. After setting a new African Record of 3:13:17 in July to become SA's first female race walker to qualify for a World Champs or Olympic Games since 2016, the Potchefstroom based Chartered Accountant closed a productive season with a solid 3:16:03 clocking to grab 33rd position in the Women's 35km Race Walk.

"The farther the distance the better I perform. This was my first year in the 35km and I think that's why I reached new heights. It feels very, very good. I didn't expect it," she told #TheTopRunner.

Team SA have spent the last two years working on their 4x400m relays and it is beginning to pay dividends. The mixed 4x400m relay team ran a new African Record and reached the final of the World Championships where they took fifth position. Photo Credit: Anton Geyser/Athletics South Africa.

Following the race walk, South Africa's first track and field competitor did duty at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. Reigning World University Games and SA Champion Aiden Smith looked to reach the final of the men's Shot Put. But competing at his first World Championships event, 20-year-old Smith performed below his best of 20.73, throwing 19.32 to be eliminated in the first round. Danielle Nolte also failed to get past the first round of the Women's Long Jump as she posted a disappointing 5.79 to finish last.

Yet the morning session did provide an opportunity for Team SA to celebrate when the mixed 4x400m relay team comprising Gardeo Isaacs, Miranda Coetzee, schoolboy Leendert Koekemoer and 400m hurdler Zeney van der Walt ran an African Record 3:11.16 to secure safe passage to the final. Although the team would finish in sixth place in that final where Coetzee was replaced by Shirley Nekhubui, their 3:11.89 clocking ended up being just over one second behind the bronze medal.

The relay, which was the last event on the opening day's (13 September) programme, was preceded by the first round of the men's 100m where Mzansi has three participants. As expected World Indoor Championships bronze medalist Akani Simbine won his heat in 10.02, while Retshidisitswe Mlenga who was a late replacement for the injured Bayanda Walaza, struggled to a 10.42 clocking and was knocked out. 

Leotlela celebrates a magical run in Japan. Photo Credit: World Athletics.

It was Gift Leotlela who grabbed headlines with the performance of the night. The 2016 World Junior Championships 200m silver medalist ran a career best 9.87 to win his heat ahead of Olympic finalist Oblique Seville of Jamaica, becoming the third fastest South African 100m athlete of all time behind Simbine (9.82) and Benjamin Richardson (9.86). Even though the reigning SA 100m champion has struggled with injury over the last five years, his coach Thabo Matebedi says he always believed that Leotlela was capable of producing this sort of world class performance.

"Gift is consistent and has looked much better than all the athletes at training to be honest. He just needed to race more and connect his race. Remember that he has been struggling with injuries for such a long time. But at the moment there is no injury, there is no pain. Gift is training with a bunch of great athletes. He's training with Bayanda, he trains with Sinesipho Dambile and he trains with Ngoni Makusha from Zimbabwe, so he has proven it in training where he manages to take the load. He manages to run just as fast as they do. For now things are going so well."

Day two of the World Athletics Championships continue on 14 September where South African interest will be focused on Marione Fourie in the Women's 100m Hurdles, Lythe Pillay and World Leader Zakithi Nene in the Men’s 400m, Brian Raats in the Men’s High Jump, Miranda Coetzee in the Women’s 400m, as well as Simbine and Leotlela in the Men's 100m.