Britain's Jonathan Edwards in action in the triple jump (© Getty Images)
World triple jump record-holder Jonathan Edwards, discus thrower Frantz Kruger and middle-distance runner Julia Sakara defied the chilly and windy conditions to win their events in their best outdoor performances of the year.
Wearing a broad smile after winning the triple jump with a leap of 17.30m, Edwards declared that he was making steady progress in his preparation for the IAAF World Championships in Seville.
"My ankle has fully healed from the operation last September. If I stay healthy, I hope to win gold at the World Championships," said Edwards. "My purpose in coming out here was to dust off the cobwebs and get back into competition. Jumping 17.30m in the windy conditions tonight is satisfactory especially since it is still early in the season."
Frantz Kruger broke new ground when he set a personal best of 67.38m to win the men's discus. He improved his PB by 86 centimetres and is now the second-best African discus thrower ever after compatriot Johan van Reenen who holds the continental record of 68.48m.
"I have been expecting strong competition from the Hungarians and Russians during this series. They were the main motivation today," said the World Cup bronze medallist. "After I threw a couple of 63-metre throws while warming up, I knew I had a big throw coming. I'm going to carefully prepare for the match against England in two weeks time where I hope to get closer to van Reenen's record."
Taking advantage of the blistering pace set by South Africa's Mari-Louise Hennings in the 1500m, Julia Sakara tucked herself behind the race leader for the first 1000m before making her move. Renowned for her strong finishing kick, Sakara turned on the heat and powered her way to victory in 4:11.29.
"This was a lovely race and everything worked according to plans," said the Commonwealth bronze medallist. "I have had a good build up while training and competing in South Africa over the past two months and I will now take a short active rest. After Easter I will resume training in preparation for the hectic European summer season. This year I am confident I will do well at the IAAF World Championships in Seville."
USA's Marion Jones and Michael Johnson wrapped up their South African tour with comfortable victories in the 100m and 200m respectively. Jones posted a decent time of 11.06 into a -0.7m/s headwind, while Johnson clocked 20.41 (-1.6m/s).
Any doubt about who is the most popular athlete on the continent was put to rest when Namibia's Frank Fredericks set foot on the track. Africa's fastest 100m and 200m sprinter brought the 20,000 spectators to their feet as he braved a chilly headwind to win the 100 metres in a modest 10.38 (-1.9m/s).
The spectators only agreed to take their seats after the humble Namibian took a lap of honour during which he received thunderous applause.
"I have always felt at home competing on African soil," said Fredericks after contesting his first race since winning the world indoor 200m title. "The weather was a bit unfavourable tonight for a good time. I assure South Africans that one day I will run a sub-10 seconds here in Cape Town. This is a promise."
Accelerating over the last 150 metres, USA's Jerome Young emerged victorious in the 400m with a respectable time of 45.31.
"Today I am happy, not just because I won, but because I ran my own race," said the World Cup silver medallist. "Last week in Roodepoort I went out too hard in the first 200m. That was because I knew there were aggressive runners in the race. Although I clocked a faster time (44.81) in Roodepoort, today's race was a better one. It is just the cold weather that slowed us down."
Mark Ouma for the IAAF
