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SA athletes qualify for Beijing
08/02/2008 21:14 - (SA)
Durban - Javelin thrower Robert Oosthuizen and steeplechaser Ruben Ramolefi became South Africa's first athletes to achieve an A qualification for the Beijing Olympics in the third leg of the Yellow Pages Ultimate athletics series held in Durban on Friday night.
After an opening round mark of 79.91m, Oosthuizen, 21, launched his qualifying 82.03m.
"I really didn't expect it - this was my first meeting since Osaka World Championships so I had hoped to get close to 80, but this was fantastic. Its great to have this in the bag so early," said the talented Maties athlete who was a surprise finalist in Japan last year.
Le Roux well clear of teammate
Ramolefi, 21, who was pushed over the seven and a half laps in the steeplechase by Tshmano Setone, recorded a time of 8:21:47, comfortably under the 8:24:6 qualifying standard.
Isabel le Roux won the first leg of her sprint double with a final 20m surge in the women's 100m to take the honours in a time of 11:84, demoting Johannesburg University's Thandi Vilakazi to second in 11:92 with Cindy Stewart a further 0.5s adrift.
The on form Tukkies athlete was well clear of teammate Rachel Nachula in the 200m where she clocked 23:35, leaving Cindy Stewart to settle for third for the second time in the evening.
Coastal conditions delivered a fast tightly fought 800m with top ranked Samson Ngoepe shaving 0:39 seconds from his year's best to win the men's 800m and dipping under the 1:47 Beijing B qualifying standard. Dirk Gouws led the field through the first lap with Ngoepe tucking into his slipstream.
Ngoepe upped the pace on the back straight while Gouws faded and Andre Olivier made his challenge with 200m to go. Ngoepe's strength secured a 1:46:91 out kicking Olivier and holding off a final charge from Tukkie's Werner Botha, who took third in 1:47:43.
- SAPA
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