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SA win 22 medals, 12 gold
04/05/2008 19:07 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Two young South African sprinters, Isabel le Roux and Thuso Mpuang, contributed to the highlights on the final day of the 16th African Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa on Sunday with brilliant victories in the 200m finals.
Both set personal best times and will also represent their country at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
For the 21-year-old Le Roux, a product of Oudtshoorn and now representing Pretoria University, it was the greatest moment of her career.
After narrowly missing the required Olympic standard of 23.00 sec in March, she won a thrilling encounter with Kadiata Camara of Mali by 0.01 sec in a fast 22.69 sec. It made her the fifth fastest SA woman of all time.
Mpuang (22), a shy student at Free State University must surely be the find of the South African season.
He qualified for the second time by lowering his personal best to 20.53 sec. and impressively taking account of his opponents, Stephan Buckland (20.62) of Mauritius, and Fannez Kenosi (20.72) of Botswana.
No one was more thrilled than his coach, Ans Botha, in Bloemfontein.
"I held thumbs that he should reach the final and perhaps win a medal. A real dream came true because he is a special talent and made use of his few opportunities," she told Sapa.
Compete with the local elite
Earlier in the year, ASA was reluctant to give Thuso a chance to compete with the local elite. His only chance came in the Potchefstroom Yellow Pages meeting where he won the C-100m race. At the SA Championships in Stellenbosch he did well and medalled in both sprints before really coming to the fore at the SA Students meeting in Pretoria where he first qualified for the Olympics.
In the final event of the five-day meeting, the SA 4x400m relay team ended on a high note with an exciting victory and a third gold medal on the day.
The quartet of Pieter Smith, Ockert Cilliers, Sibusiso Sishi and LJ van Zyl covered the distance in a fine 3 min 03.58 sec defeating Sudan and Senegal.
The other SA medal winners on the day were Veronica Abrahamse (third in the shot put with 16.00m) and Juan van Deventer (third in the 1500m in 3 min 43.63 sec).
It brought South Africa's total medal tally to 22 with 12 gold, two silver and eight bronze medals.
Nigeria came closest with seven golds and a total of 19.
Other South African results: Men: 20km Walk - 7 Marc Mundell 1:32:21, 8 Werner Appel 1:33:55, 10 Thami Hlatswayo 1:35:20; High Jump - 9 Hubert de Beer 2.05m; 5000m - 7 Boy Soke 14:13.45; Women: Shot - 5 Simone du Toit 15.33m; 20km Walk - 4 Ruzanne Harris 1:41.33, 10 Nomsa Buthelezi 1:52:44, 11 Michelle Hopkins 1:52:50; 3000m Steeplechase - 6 Tebogo Masehla 11:13.24.
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