Meyer, Malherbe and Seyerling qualify for Sevilla '99

Meyer, Malherbe and Seyerling qualify for Sevilla '99
Mark Ouma for IAAF

6 March 1999 - 1994 World Half Marathon Champion Elana Meyer, Arnaud Malherbe and Heide Seyerling qualified for the IAAF World Championships at the Kings Park Stadium in Durban over the weekend. The ABSA Senior Track and Field SA Championships, March 5-6, were used by Athletics South Africa (ASA) as the main qualifying event for the 7th IAAF World Championships which will be held in Seville, Spain, from August 20-29.

Although he has not qualified for any of his four individual events, Marcus la Grange bagged four gold and one silver medal in a rare display of versatility.

In spite of having no serious challenger throughout the women's 10,000m, Meyer qualified for Seville in a winning time of 32:15.25. ASA’s qualifying standard for the event is 32:30.00. "I ran this race with two objectives in mind. Firstly, I wanted to qualify for the World Championships. Secondly, I wanted to test my leg speed before competing in the Kyoto Half Marathon. I would like to run a fast marathon this year. To do that I am using the track to sharpen my leg speed," said Meyer who will defend her title in Kyoto next Sunday (March 14).

In an exciting men's 400m, Malherbe successfully defended his South African Championship title with a time of 45.41. ASA's stringent qualifier for Seville is 45.45. Malherbe ended the unbeaten run of this season’s new sensation Jopie van Oudtshoorn who was second in 46.09. Adriaan Botha was third with 46.16. "It is important to qualify early and to prove that I’m still one the best 400m runners around. I can now train in a more relaxed manner," said Malherbe.  "This race has taken a lot of pressure off me. Being undefeated all season raises too many expectations. I am sure that I will qualify for Seville during the Engen series later this month," said Oudtshoorn.

A vastly improved Seyerling won the 200m in 22.93 to meet ASA’s 22.94 qualifying standard. Earlier on, her winning time in the 100m (11.35) was one hundredth of a second outside the ASA qualifier for Seville.

While most athletes struggle to produce quality performances in a single event, La Grange seems to have it all. Besides posting personal bests in the 110m hurdles and 100m in times of 13.71 and 10.30 respectively, he won the 200m in 20.75. Alas, he had to had to settle for silver in the long jump after Felix Coetzee pipped him in this event by the narrowest of margins - one centimetre. Felix won the long jump in 7.47 to La Grange's 7.46. La Grange earned his fourth gold and fifth medal when he anchored the 4x100m relay for Western Province.

"I am now going to concentrate on trying to qualify for Seville in the sprints during the Engen Series. The presence of the 200m world record holder Michael Johnson (USA) and World Cup silver medallist Seun Ogunkoya (NGR) should provide the necessary competition to take me to a higher level.

Eighteen year old Lucky Hadebe caused a major surprise when he won the 800m in 1.45.75. Not only did he set a Championship record, he improved on his previous personal best of 1.46.87. "I wanted to win here as this is my homeground. This year I hope to run a 1.44 so as to be ranked amongst the best in the world.

In a ground breaking development, junior athlete Poppy Mlambo won the first ever women's 2000m steeplechase race on South African soil in a time of 7.07.15. Elizabeth Mthombeni was second in 7.18.03, while Mpho Mabuza was third in 7.22.42.

LEADING RESULTS

MEN

100m: 1 M. La Grange (Western Province) 10.30; 2 B. Agnew (Eastern Province) 10.36; 3 M. Nagel (Gauteng North) 10.37; 4 L. Newton (Eastern) 10.37; 5 M. Quinn (KwaZulu-Natal) 10.39
200m: 1 M La Grange 20.73; 2. L.R. Newton (Eastern Province) 20.74; 3 C. Du Plessis (Central Gauteng) 20.99
400m: 1 A. Malherbe (Central Gauteng) 45.41; 2 J. Van Oudtshoorn (Central Gauteng) 46.09; 3 A. Botha (Gauteng North) 46.16
110m hurdles:1 M. La Grange (Western Province) 13.71; 2 S. Bownes (Central North West) 13.72; 3 L. Odendaal (Mpumalanga) 14.15
400m hurdles: 1 L. Herbert (Gauteng North) 49.73; 2 F. Pieterse 50.72; 3 H. Botha (Central North West) 51.15
800m: 1. L. Hadebe (KwaZulu-Natal) 1.45.73; 2. G. Van Oudtshoorn (Central Gauteng) 1.46.19; 3. S. Abrahams (Boland) 1.46.90
1500m: 1. E. Faro (Boland) 3.43.02; 2. A. Gabonewe (Gauteng North) 3.43.79; 3. P. van Tonder (Gauteng North) 3.45.49; 4. E. Matalane (Mpumalanga) 3.45.74; 5. S. Khambule (KwaZulu-Natal) 3.46.33; 6. R. Cooney (Central Gauteng) 3.48.36
3000m steeplechase: 1. S. Mayisela (Central Gauteng) 8:39.06; 2 P. Sithole (Eastern Province) 8:41.52; 3 F. Jorapetse (Western Province) 8:42:79.l
5000m: 1 H. Ramaala (Central Gauteng) 13:40.34; 2 E. Skosana (Gauteng North) 13:40.47; 3 A. Gabonewe (Gauteng North) 13:46.01; 10000m:1 H Ramaala (Central Gauteng) 28.30.42;2 M Fika (Eastern Province) 28.36.07;3 J Mazibuko (Central Gauteng) 28.54.76
Long Jump: 1 F.Coetzee (Central Gauteng) 7.47; 2 M. La Grange (Western Province) 7.46; 3 M. Boucher (Central Gauteng) 7.15
Triple Jump: 1 W. Coetzee (KwaZulu-Natal) 14.86; 2 J. Oosthuizen (Free State) 14.69; 3 M. De Vos (Central Gauteng) 14.68
High Jump: 1 M. Hendricks (Western Province) 2.16; 2 T. Peacock (KwaZulu-Natal) 2.16; 3 M. James (Western Province) 2.11
Discus: 1 F. Kruger (Free State) 63.84; 2 F. Potgieter (Gauteng North) 59.70; 3 M.Swart (Gauteng North) 57.74
Javelin: M. Corbett (Central North West) 78.67; 2 J Van Eck (Central North West) 73.94; 3 J Vosloo (Central North West) 71.49
Shot Put: 1 B. Lambrechts (Gauteng North) 19.44; 2 C. Booysen (Gauteng North) 18.62; 3 K. Potgieter (Gauteng North) 18.53
Hammer:1 C Harmse (Vaal Triangle) 75.78;2 R Meiring (Eastern Province) 64.48;3 C Koen (Eastern Province) 60.02
20km Walk: 1 C. Britz (Central Gauteng) 1:36:04.00; 2 R. Blignaut (Central Gauteng) 1:36:49.00; 3 T Mangole (Central Gauteng) 1:37:35.00
Pentathlon U19: 1 V Swartz (Western Priovince) 3,101; 2 E Sabodien (Western Province) 2,697; 3 G Wagner (Western Province) 2,601; 4 A Van Staden (Western Province) 2,351
Decathlon: 1 C Blignaut (Gauteng North) 6,864; 2 J. Botha (Free State) 6,508; 3 P Robinson 6,361
4x100m: 1 Western Province 41.07; 2 Central Gauteng 41.36; Eastern Province 41.65
4x400m: 1 Central Gauteng 3.07.08; Gauteng North 3.07.62; 3 Eastern Province 3.12.23

WOMEN

100m: 1 H. Seyerling (Eastern Province) 11.35, 2 E. Le Roux (Boland) 11.83; 3 S. Lourens 11.85
200m: 1 H. Seyerling (Eastern Province) 22.93; 2 C. Lawrence (Western Province) 23.62; 3 S. Johansson (Central Gauteng) 23.82
400m: 1 L. Van der Walt (Central Gauteng) 53.07; 2 A. De Jongh (Central Gauteng) 53.66; 3 Y. Neethling (Eastern Province) 54.55
100m hurdles: 1 C. Botha (Central Gauteng) 13.69; 2 A. Jacobs (Western Province) 14.06; 3 M. Pretorius (Central North West)
400m hurdles: 1 A. Vlok (Western Province) 57.87; 2 C. Eksteen (Free State) 58.17; 3 V. Becker (Gauteng North) 58.89
800m: 1 M.L. Hennings (Gauteng North) 2.04.94; 2 A. Halstead (Gauteng North); 3 R. Snyman (Central Gauteng) 2.08.14
1500m: 1 A Halstead (Gauteng North) 4.16.07; 2 R.Kalmer (Gauteng North) 4.17.63; 3 T. Swanepoel (Gauteng North)
2000m steeplechase: 1 P. Mlambo (Central Gauteng) 7.07.15; 2 E. Mtombeni (Central Gauteng) 7.18.03; 3 M. Mabuza (Central Gauteng) 7.22.42; 4 D. Mosetsane (Central Gauteng) 7.35.68
5000m: 1 C Cornelissen (Gauteng North) 16.03.81; 2 T. Swanepoel (Gauteng North) 16.07.13; 3 A. Verster (Central North West) 16.08.02
10000m: 1 E Meyer (Boland) 32.15.25; 2 T Du Toit (Western Province) 33.18.92; 3 G De Oliviera (KwaZulu-Natal)
Long Jump: 1 R Fourie (Gauteng) 6.31; 2 C Botha (Central Gauteng) 6.12; 3 C Lawrence (Western province) 6.03
Triple Jump: 1 C Barnard (Central Gauteng) 13.01; 2 P. Marais (South West Districts) 12.90; 3 C Ebersohn (KwaZulu-Natal) 12.67
High Jump: 1 H Cloete (North West North); 2 P Erasmus (Eastern province) 1.81; 3 Y Langelaar (South West Districts) 1.76
Pole Vault: 1 E. Gerryts (Boland) 4.20; 2 A. Van Wyk (Western Province) 3.70; 3 R. Erasmus
Discus: 1 L. Duvenhage (Gauteng North) 53.14; 2 E. Naude 51.20; 3 D. Flemming (Gauteng North) 43.73
Javelin: 1 L .Roux (Central Gauteng) 56.24; 2 R. Dwinger (Gauteng North) 51.12; 3 V. Abrahamse (KwaZulu-Natal) 50.86
Shot Put: 1M Du Toit (western Province) 15.93; 2 V Abrahamse (KwaZulu-Natal) 15.60; 3 L Jooste (Free State) 14.43
Hammer: 1 E. Knoetzen (Western Province) 54.20; 2 L Van Zyl (Western Province) 50.08; 3 M. Engelbrecht (Western Province) 49.22
20km Walk: 1 S. Vermeulen (Gauteng North) 1:46:28.00; 2 B. Nell (Central Gauteng) 1:49:48.00; 3 C. Venter (Central North West) 2:02.41.00
Pentathlon U19: 1 C Ferreria (KwaZulu-Natal) 3,272; 2 N Steyn (Central Gauteng) 3,249
Heptathlon: 1 M. Fouche (Gauteng North) 5815; 2 O. Smit (Gauteng North) 4463; 3 C Kruger 4355
4x100m: 1 Central Gauteng 46.78;2 central Gauteng 'B' 47.20;3 Western Province 47.38
4x400m: 1 Central Gauteng 'B' 3.42.84; 2 Gauteng North 3.46.30; 3 KwaZulu-Natal 3.46.69