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News17 Mar 2001


South African Grand Prix Series and Om die Dam Ultra Marathon

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Mark Ouma for IAAF

16 March 2001 - South Africa - In a hectic weekend of international competition in South Africa, Agnes Samaria set a Namibian record in the 800 metres, at the Engen Series meeting in Ruimsig Stadium near Roodepoort on Friday night.

Elsewhere veterans Soccer Ncube and Frith van der Merwe used their vast experience to wear down their challengers and once again once again win the Old Mutual Om Die Dam Ultra marathon (50km) in Hartbeesport on Saturday morning.

Taking over the lead from Olga Raspopova (Russia) with 300metres to the finish, Samaria powered her way to victory in the 800 metres in a new Namibian record of 2:00.81. Uganda’s All Africa Games bronze medallist Grace Birungi was runner up in 2:01.54, while South Africa’s Lynelle Coetzee was a distant third in 2:03.09

This is the second time Samaria has improved her national record in as many months. Last month she bettered the 2:03.99 mark she set in Cologne last year with a time of 2:03.09 at the ABSA meeting in Potchefstroom. She admits being taken aback by her performance.

"After the strenuous training stint l went through over the past two weeks, l am still feeling a bit tired. Therefore l did not expect to run a fast time, let alone improve our national record by over a second," said Samaria.

" I am looking forward to next Friday’s race in Pretoria, because l now believe that l stand a good chance of breaking the two minute barrier. l want to be up there with Maria Mutola (Mozambique) and Lwiza John (Tanzania) at the world championships in Edmonton," said the English and Physical Education teacher from the Katutura townships, near the Namibian capital, Windhoek.

Olympic champions Szymon Ziolkowski (Poland) and Virgilius Alexna (Lithuania), had mixed fortunes against their South African challengers. Ziolkowski (82.12) got the better of the African record holder Chris Harmse in the hammer throw, while Olympic bronze medallist Frantz Kruger (66.34) upstaged Alexna (66.02) in the discus.

The meeting was a net success for the 400 metres sprinters, with several athletes achieving the IAAF ‘A’ qualifying standard 45.72 (men) and 52.00 (women). Marcus la Grange won the men’s main 400 race with a 45.08 effort. Arnaud Malherbe (45.12) and Adriaan Botha (45.14) followed in that order. South Africa’s new-find Gary Kikaya (45.59) won the other heat.

Olympic finalists, Mexican Ana Guevara (50.28) and South Africa’s Heide Seyerling (50.64) were the first two in the women’s race. "This is a very fast track. My time has given me the confidence that l can win a medal at the world championships.

"I have been a finalist at the last world championships and at the Olympics. All this was a learning experience for me as l have only been an athlete for five years. It is now time for me to step out of the shadows and into the limelight," said Guevara.

There was abundant evidence that some serious work is taking place at the IAAF Regional Development Centre in Dakar, Senegal, where athletes from French speaking African countries are preparing for the Francophone Games scheduled to take place in Ottawa, Canada in July. What’s more the athletes were competing for the first time since they went to camp in last December.

Eric Milazar (Mauritius) clocked 45.49 in the men’s 400 metres. Senegal’s All Africa Games bronze Amy Mbacke Thiam (52.52) and Cameroonian Mireille Nguimgo (52.92) looked promising in the women’s event. Stephan Buckland (Mauritius) won the men’s 100 metres in 10.27, while 100m hurdler Madagascar’s Rosa Rakotozafy (13.40) outpaced the Ukraine’s experienced hurdler Tatyana Tereschuk (13.61).

Other notable performances on Friday were by British javelin thrower Mick Hill (80.58), Dutch 200 metres sprinter Partick van Balkom (20.40), Tereschuk (53.89), and Kenyan 3000 metres runner Fred Cheruiyot (7:56.27).

At the crack of dawn in Hartbeespoort, some 80 kilometres from Roodepoort, Soccer Ncube and Frith van der Merwe proved that, although they are in their late 30s, age does not impede their ability to prevail in a field of over 5000 contestants. Ncube (39) who last won the race in 1997, clocked 3:51:19 and was well ahead of runner up Elais Mabane (3:53:53) and third placed Kheledi Molete (2:55:53).

Holder of the course record (3:21:31), Van der Merwe won the race for the third time in 3:31:14. Second placed Alison Hay (3:40:02) who was second and third placed Fiddy Gey van Pittius (3:48:53) where never in contention.

"For three years l have been battling to get over a series of leg injuries. My time proves that patience pays. Now my mind is focused on the Two Oceans (ultra marathon) in Cape Town on April 14. The prize money of South African Rands 100,000 (US dollars 14,000), is a fortune for an unemployed person like me. Just wait and see what happens on that day," said Ncube.

Van der Merwe has other ideas. "It is 12 years since l set the down run record at the Comrades marathon. This year l want to finish at least in the top five," said the history teacher from Boksburg’s Sunward Park High School in Boksburg, 40 km East of Johannesburg.

LEADING RESULTS
Note: All athletes are South Africans unless where mentioned.
PB denotes personal best

ENGEN TRACK AND FIELD MEETING

MEN

100m (-0.4)
1 Stephan Buckland (Mauritius) 10.27 2 Morne Nagel 10.43 3 Benedictus Botha (Namibia) 10.45 4 Kevin Braunskill (USA 10.48 5 Antonio Boussambo (Gabon) 10.50 6 Patrick van Balkom (Holland ) 10.50

200 (0.0)
1 Partick van Balkom (Holland) 20.40 2 Corne du Plessis 20.47 3 Kevin Braunskill 20.63 4 Paul Gorries 20.72 5 Joseph van der Linde 20.75 6 Antoine Boussombo (Gabon) 20.78 7 Lee-Roy Newton 20.80 8 Doug Turner (Britain) 21.19

400m ‘A’
1 Marcus la Grange 45.08 2 Arnaud Malherbe 45.12 3 Adriaan Botha 45.14 (PB) 4 Eric Milazar (Mauritius) 45.49 5 Jopie van Oudtshoorn 45.87 6 Juan Pedro Toledo (Mexico) 46.01 7 Iwan Thomas (Britain) 46.12 8 Johnson Kubisa (Botswana) 48.34

400 ‘B’
1 Gary Kikaya 45.59 (PB) 2 Mandla Nkosi 46.31 (PB) 3 Loid Kgopong 46.42 4 Marcel Lopuchovsky 46.46 5 Califonia Molefe (Botswana) 46.49 6 Lulu Basinyi (Botswana) 46.54 7 Agrippa Matshamelo (Botwana) 47.77

110m Hurdles (-0.6)
1 Stanislav Olijars (Latvia) 13.43 2 Shaun Bownes 13.44 3 Andrey Kislykh (Russia) 14.28

400m Hurdles ‘A’
1 Llewellyn Herbert 48.56 2 Alwyn Myburgh 48.93 (PB) 3 Wille Smith (Namibia) 49.05 (PB) 4 Martin Willemse 49.42 (PB) 5 Masrtin Krintzinger 49.58 (PB) 6 Hennie Botha 50.08

400m Hurdles ‘B’
1 Ockert Cillers 50.16 2 Henk Meyer 51.63 3 Willem Romijn 51.78

800m ‘A’
1 Mbulaeni Mulaudzi 1:46.81 2 Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 1:47.01 3 William Yampoy (Kenya) 1:47.99

800m ‘B’
1 Nicky Claasen 1:48.99 2 Kgomotoso Manthata 1:50.30 3 Johan Pretorius 1:50.81

3000m
1 Fred Cheruiyot (Kenya) 7:56.27 2 David Kisang (Kenya) 7:59.97 3 Shadrack Hoff 8:02.63

Long Jump
1 Felix Coetzee 7.93 2 Martin McClintock 7.82 3 Johan Stroh 7.50

Pole Vault
1 Pavel Burlachenko (Russia) 5.50 2 Fanie Jacob 5.40 3 Okkert Brits 5.40

Javelin
1 Mick Hill (Britain) 80.58 2 Marius Corbett 78.10 3 Voldemar Lusis (Latvia) 77.51 4 Erik Rags (Latvia) 77.41

Discus
1 Frantz Kruger 66.34 2 Virgilius Alekna (Lithuania) 66.02 3 Jason Tunk (Canada) 64.70

Hammer
1 Szymon Zilkowski (Poland) 82.13 2 Chris Harmse 78.26 3 Ricardo Meiring 65.19

WOMEN

100m (-0.1)
1 Dikeledi Moropane 11.63 2 Joyce Maduaka (Britain) 11.70 3 Aida Diop (Senegal) 11.77

200m
1 Dikeledi Moropane 23.51 2 Anri Carelse 23.70 3 Joyce Maduaka (Britain) 23.73

400m
1 Ana Guevara (Mexico ) 50.28 2 Heide Seyerling 50.64 3 Amy Mbacke Thiam (Senegal) 52.52 4 Mireille Nguimgo (Cameroon) 52.92 5 Jitka Burianova (Czech Republic) 53.54 6 Yeketerina Kulikova (Russia) 53.82

100m Hurdles (NWR)
1 Rosa Rakotozafy (Madagascar) 13.40 2 Tatyana Tereschuk (Ukraine) 13.61 3 Adri Vlok 13.85 4 Natalya Chulkova (Russia) 13.87

400m Hurdles
1 Tatyana Tereschuk (Ukraine) 53.89 2. Surita Febbraio 54.10 (PB) 3 Kerry van Zyl 56.93 (PB)

800m
1 Agnes Samaria (Namibia) 2:00.81 National Record 2 Grace Briungi (Uganda) 2:01.54 3 Lynelle Coetzee 2:03.09

1500
1 Rene Kalmer 4:15.90 2 Avril Halstead 4: 24.75 3 Svetlana Kanatova (Russia) 4:25.48

High Jump
1 Hestrie Cloete 1.90 2 Marisca Gertenbach 1.85 3 Irina Michalchenko (Ukraine) 1.85

Pole Vault
1 Elmarie Gerryts 4.20 2 Marna Jacobs 3.80 3 Christina Oosthuizen 3.60

Shot put
1 Drenkie van Wyk 17.23 2 Maraqnelle du Toit 16.53 3 Annmare Sullivan 14.07

OM DIE DAM ULTRA MARATHON

MEN

1 Soccer Ncube 2:51.19 2 Elias Mabane 2:53:53 3 Kheledi Molete 2:55:53 4 Albert Geldenhuys 2:56:20 5 Frans Chauke 2:56:56

WOMEN

1 Frith vcan der Merwe 3:31:14 2 Alison Hay 3:40:02 3 Fiddy Gey van Pittius 3:48:53 4 Tracy Jarmen 3:52:24 5 Catherine Naana 4:00:35

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