Okkert Cilliers wins the 400m Hurdles in Tswane, South Africa (© Mark Ouma)
Tswane, South AfricaAn onform Ockert Cilliers became the second fastest South African ever in the 400m Hurdles after his sparkling performance at the third ABSA Series meeting staged at the Pilditch Stadium in Tswane, South Africa on Friday.
Drawn in lane four, Cilliers got off to an aggressive start. He caught up with Alwyn Myburgh drawn in the immediate outer lane at the fifth hurdle on the back straight. Cilliers held on to the slender lead to win the day’s most exciting event in a career best of 48.02. Only Llewellyn Herberts’ 47.81 bronze medal effort at the Sydney Olympics stands in his way to claiming the senior national record.
Myburgh was runner up in an equally impressive 48.35. Teenager Wouter le Roux (49.75), Hennie Botha (49.74), Marnus Kritzinger (50.23), and Francois Malan (50.51)
followed. A struggling Llewellyn Herbert (50.70) barely managed to edge Martin Willemse (50.73) to avoid finishing last in the race. While Kenya’s Julius Bungei won the B race in 50.89.
“The key to my performance was a change in my stride pattern. Previously, I took 14 strides in between each of the first five hurdles, then switched to 15 strides for the rest of the race. Tonight I took 14 strides over six hurdles and that is what enabled me improve on my career best of 48.47 set last week.
“My challenge now is to maintain this race pattern. This will be key to achieving my goal of finishing in the top ten on the world chart this year. I want to achieve that before going on to set bigger goal,” says Cilliers revealed.
Three qualify for World Junior Championships
Besides qualifying for the World Junior Championships Khotso Mokoena and Leigh Julius each established junior national records. In his third attempt in the Triple Jump Mokoena leaped to a distance of 16.68 metres to better the national record of 16.28m which he set last year.
“This year I want nothing less than breaking the 17 metres mark,” say Mokoena a silver medallist at the All Africa Games. With that in mind the senior national record of 16.89m looks set to be surpassed.
By winning the 100 metres in 10.36, Leigh Julius not only improved his career best but established himself as the country’s best junior athlete ever in the event. Previously he shared the record at 10.36 with Raoul Karp.
“I know there is still some work to do if I am to be a medallist at the World Junior Championships,” says Julius.
Although impressive in the 200m Julius ( 20.70) had to content himself with second place as Clinton Venter made a victorious start to his season with an ABSA Series record and Olympic qualifier of 20.55. Sherwin Vries was third in 20.71.
Cloete, Brits, Harmse and Robberts are among six Olympic A qualifiers
World High Jump champions Hestrie Cloete (1.95) was among those who achieved the Olympic qualifying standard in their respective events. Making his first ABSA Series appearance this year Janus Robberts heaved the shot put to a distance of 20.50 metres. Okkert Brits cleared the bar at 5.65m in the Pole Vault. Sunette Viljoen won the women’s javelin in 61.15m, while Chris Harmse was winner in the men’s Hammer Throw with a 79.70 effort.
Sprinter Marcus la Grange just missed out on the 400m Olympic A standard when he won the one lap race in 45.59 seconds. With a throw of 62.29m in the men’s discus Frantz Kruger fell short of the Olympics mark. Shaun Bownes hit a hurdle on his way to winning the 110m hurdles in 13.60 seconds.
As the ABSA Series moves to the Indian Ocean port city of Thekwini in a fortnight, more attention is expected to be on the middle distance races. This after Frank Lekwi (8:03.26) and Jac Steenekamp (8:03.35) each set career bests in the men’s 3000 metres. Most of the country’s middle and long distance runners reserve their best effort for meeting held at the coast.
Mark Ouma for the IAAF
Selected Results
Note: All athletes are South Africans unless otherwise mentioned
OLY A denotes qualified for the Athens Olympics A Standard
OLY B denotes qualified for the Athens Olympics B Standard
WJC denotes qualified for the World Junior Championships
NJR denoted National Junior record
SR denotes ABSA Series record
PB denotes Personal best
Men
100m A (+0.1)
1 Leigh Julius 10.34 PB/ NJR/ WJC
2 Sherwin Vries 10:36
3 Clinton Venter 10.37
4 Lee-Roy Newton 10.39
100m B (+0.1)
1Craig Hendricks 10.63
2 Dean Wick 10.65
3 Malcolm Thonga 10.68
100m C (+0.1)
1 Athimos Rotos (Greece) 10.54
2 Evan Maloney 10.84
3 Jean du Randt 10.86
200m A (0.0)
1 Clinton Venter 20.55 SR/ OLY A
2 Leigh Julius 20.70 WJC/ OLY B
3 Sherwin Vries 20.71 OLY B
4 John Ertzgaard (Norway) 20.86
200m B (0.0)
1 Sylvester Brown 21.39
2 Graeme Dehrmann 21.56
3 Athimos Rotos (Greece) 21.63
400m A
1 Marcus la Grange 45.59 OLY B
2 Louis van Zyl 46.41 PB/ WJC
3 Arnaud Malherbe 46.45
4 Hendrick Mokganyetsi 46.77
5 Christain Birk(Denmark) 46.85
6. Paul Gorris 46.89
400m B
1 Martin Stander 47.24
2 Chris Gebhardt 47.36
3 Nico Oosthuizen 47.58
110m Hurdles (+0.2)
1 Shaun Bownes 13.60 OLY B
2 Frikke van Zyl 13.82
3 Martin de Bruto 14.28
400m Hurdles
1 Ockert Cilliers 48.02 PB/SR/ OLY A
2 Alwyn Myburgh 48.35 OLY A
3 Wouter le Roux 49.45 WJC/ OLY B
4 Hennie Botha 49.74
5 MarnusKritzinger 50.23
6 Francois Malan 50.51
7 Llewellyn Herbert 50.70
8 Martin Willemse 50.73
400m Hurdles B
1 Julius Bungei (Kenya) 50.89
2 Atle Mc Adam (Norway) 51.56
3 Vian Louw 53.35
800m A
1 Mbualeni Mulaudzi 1:46.96 OLY B
2 Bonolo Maboa 1:47.67 WJC
3 Werner Botha 1:47.74
800m B
1 Kobus Pretorius 1:50.96
2 Victor Sethosa 1:51.15
3 HP Venter 1:51:51
3000m
1 Frank Lekwi 8:03.26 PB
2 Jac Steenekamp 8:03.35 PB
3 Reuben Ramolefi 8:07.05
Long Jump
1 Martin Mc Clintock 7.58
2 Charlie Strohmenger 7.54
3 Yaw Fosu Amoh 7.52
Triple Jump
1 Khotso Mokoena 16.68 PB/ NJR/WJC
2 Simeon Mars 15.80
3 Heinrich Lourens 15.38
Pole Vault
1 Okert Brits 5.65 OLY A
2 Riaan Botha 5.30
3 Fanie Jacobs 5.20
Javelin
1 Hardus Pienaar 76.36
2 Gerbrandt Grobler 73.87
3 Brian Erasmus 73.45
Discus
1 Frantz Kruger 62.29
2 Johannes van Wyk 59.14
3 Stefan Joubert 51.51
Shot Put
1 Janus Robberts 20.50 OLY A
2 Burger Lambrechts 19.16
3 Roelie Potgieter 18.15
Hammer
1 Chris Harmse 79.70 OLY A
2 Werner Smit 73.91
3 Rudolph Venter 66.10
4x100m
1 South Africa Team A 39.64
2 South Africa Team B 40.79
3 ABSA Team A 41.05
Women
100m A (+0.1)
1 Geraldine Pillay 11.45
2 Marilia Gregoriou (Greece) 11.57
3 Wendy Seegers 11.63
100m B (0.0)
1 Mia Seidler 12.20
2 Melissa le Roux 12.26
3 Carla Fick 12.34
200m (+0.2)
1 Marilia Gregoriou (Greece) 23.38
2 Geraldine Pillay 23.39
3 Adri Schoeman 23.73
400m
1 Heide Seyerling-Quinn 53.13
2 Elmie Hugo 55.11
3 Leanie Hall 56.20
100m Hurdles (+0.3)
1 Janice Josephs 13.33
2 Sune Labuschagne 13.92
3 Justine Robbeson 14.23
400m Hurdles
1 Licinda Liebenburg 1:00.25
2 Janet Wienand 1:01.24
3 Carla Coetzee1:01.93
800m
1 Tina Paulino (Mozambique) 2:04.73
2 Angela Wagner 2:05.49
3 Mari-Louise Henning 2:05.71
3000m
1 Rene Kalmer 9:16.48
2 Poppy Mlambo 9:18.83
3 Lebogang Phalula 9:19.26
Long Jump
1 Janice Joseph 6.25 (+0.3)
2 Karen Mey 6.21 (0.0)
3 Delia Visser 6.00 (0.0)
High Jump
1 Hestrie Cloete 1.95 OLY A
2 Diane Wondergem 1.80
3 Vicky Welthagen 1.75
Javelin
1 Sunette Viljoen 61.15 OLY A
2 Taina Kolakkola (Finland) 58.79 OLY B
3 Elizna Labuschagne 44.74
Discus
1 Elizna Naude 53.95
2 Mariska van Zyl 48.30
3 Lizelle Duvenage 47.70
Shot Put
1 Veronica Abrahams 16.16
2 Simone du Toit 14.26
3 Marli Knoetze 13.96
4x 100m Relay
1 South Africa A Team 44.78
2 ABSA A Team 46.71
3 South Africa B Team 46.79
