South
Africa's top athletes lineup for big incentives in this year's Absa Series
Athletics South Africa
23 January 2002 - Pretoria - Over the
past few years, in answering to the African Renaissance call by President, Thabo Mbeki,
ASA in conjunction with Absa embarked on a drive to invite athletes from the African
continent to compete in the Absa Series.
This African Athletics Renaissance initiative has produced excellent results, both in terms of competition as well as helping to unearth hidden athletics talent on the African continent. The 2002 edition of this African Athletics Renaissance promises even greater things.
ASA CEO Banele Sindani said that the arrival of top African athletes from countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Sudan and Mauritius, as well as from countries such as the Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland and Qatar, would certainly bring out the best from SA's track and field stars.
"I believe that SA's track and field athletes will be up to the challenge and this year's Absa Series will be the series of all Absa series," said Sindani.
South Africa's track and field stars will be aiming to cash in on this year's Absa Series. A healthy incentive from the sponsors, of R100 000 (four packages of R25,000 each = 2,150 USD) is up for grabs for new national senior records set during the Absa Series meetings in Germiston (Friday, 25 January), Bloemfontein (Friday, 1 February), Durban (Friday, 8 February), Port Elizabeth (Friday, 1 March) and Bellville (Friday 8 March).
Absa Group Executive Director, Santie Botha, expressed her delight with the way in which the Absa Series has grown over the past five years, and said that this year’s Absa Series is set to take SA summer track and field action to another dimension.
Says Botha: "The 2002 Absa Series has all the ingredients of being action-packed and family fun, and Absa are proud to be associated with a sport that brings so much pleasure to the public, many of whom are Absa clients."
South Africa's world high jump champion Hestrie Cloete will begin her build up to the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England in July, and will be looking to put a string of impressive Absa Series performances behind her this season. Hestrie, Olympic javelin bronze medallist Sergey Makarov (RUS) and world indoor pole vault champion Pavla Hamackova (CZE), should ensure the finest in track and field action at the opening Absa Series meeting of the 2002 athletics season at the Germiston stadium on Friday, 25 January.
Olympic 400m finalist Heide Seyerling gets her summer campaign underway over 200m, as she eyes another 400m showdown with Australian Olympic 400m champion Cathy Freeman at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England in July. The blonde KwaZulu Natal speedster, with a 200m best of 22,63 seconds will be out to make the most of competing at 1661m above sea level.
Having broken the national 110m hurdles record on eleven previous occasions, African record holder Shaun Bownes (13,26 seconds best) could make the sponsors fork out another R25 000 in Germiston on Friday, if the conditions are in his favour on the night.
Aiming to fill the ASA trophy cupboard with gold medals this year from the Commonwealth Games, Africa Senior Track and Field Championships and World Cup showpieces, Bownes is out to get his campaign off to a flying start, but will receive a stiff challenge from 2000 Polish champion Marcin Kuszekwski (13,56 seconds personal best).
African hammer throw record holder Chris Harmse could well make Absa write out another R25 000 cheque in Germiston on Friday evening, having posted a new continental best of 78,88m in Pretoria in November last year.
The competition between Harmse and powerful Czech Republic hammer thrower Milan Sedlacek (personal best of 79,56m) should be one of the highlights of the Absa Series meeting in Germiston.
SA's World Student Games 400m hurdles gold medallist Alwyn Myburgh will be out in search of revenge against Stepan Tesarik of the Czech Republic, who beat the Gauteng North athlete in last season's opening Absa Series meeting in Rustenburg.
But Myburgh's career has risen to new levels following his gold medal at the World Student Games in Beijing last August in 48,09 seconds. Another world class Czech hurdler Jiri Muzik, will also be part of the 400m hurdles action in Germiston.
Lewellyn Herbert will line up over 400m against the likes of national one-lap stars Adriaan Botha and Jopie van Oudtshoorn, and Jose Peralta of the Dominican Republic, while Lucky Hadebe is expected to take the challenge to Werner Botha in the 800m.
Athletics spectators will also get a chance to watch the new African middle distance sensation, 19-year-old Anna Ndege, from Tanzania, in action over 800m. Competing with her more experienced national team-mate Lwiza John, Ndege finished up as the fourth fastest junior in the world last year in the 800m in a time of 2:03,09, having arrived at the 2001 Absa Series as a 400m runner.
Clearing the psychological 90m barrier is a distinct possibility for Russian javelin thrower Sergey Makarov (2001 outdoor personal best of 88,42m) during 2002, having shown fine form in training in Potchefstroom, and who will be encouraged on in Germiston on Friday, by his wife, fellow Russian international javelin athlete Oskana Makarov.
The Czech Republic's Miroslav Guzdek, known in world javelin throwing as the 'next Jan Zelezny' (Zelezny is the current world javelin record holder: 98.48m), improved his career best to 82,60m last year, and will make his presence felt against Makarov.
South Africa's javelin athletes in [the form of] world junior champion Hardus Pienaar, Brian Erasmus and Willie Human will look to learn as much as possible from this wonderful opportunity of competing alongside some of the world's best.
World indoor pole vault champion Pavla Hamackova needs to produce some early season form in order to qualify for the European Indoor Championships in Vienna on March 1-3, and is expected to attack the 4,30m mark in Germiston, which could spur on SA's youth brigade of Annelie van Wyk, Sylma Jordaan and Marna Jacobs to become regular 4 metre pole vaulters this season.
Namibian 400m, 800m, 1000m and 1500m record holder Agnes Samaria will be out to take line honours in the 800m.
Tickets are on sale at Computicket and will also be available at the gate from 3pm on Friday, 25 January. Seats in the grandstand will cost R20 each and R10 in the open stands. Tickets for school children will be free of charge.
For further information please contact:
BANELE SINDANI, ASA Chief Executive Officer
TEL: (011) 880 5800
CELL: (082) 990 2439
Linda Ferns Manager: Events
Tel: (011) 880-5800 ext 208
Fax: (011) 442-3091
Cell: (082) 990-3989
URL:
http://www.athletics.org.za/
