Tebogo Masehla and Violet Raseboya aim to break new grounds when they compete at the final Yellow Pages Series Meeting in Tshwane on Friday, where Masehla needs to complete the 3000m steeplechase in less than nine minutes and 46 seconds (9:46) to meet the Beijing Olympic A standard.
She holds the national record (9:55.10), and is fully aware of how hard she has to work to book a place to Beijing. "All season I have been gearing up to face this huge challenge to achieve the Olympic qualifying standard. I have competed in the 3000m (flat) at all the Yellow Pages meets, where we did not have the steeplechase.
"On each occasion I have run a faster time. What inspires me most is the thrill to achieve the qualifying standard, as it also inspires me to improve my national record," says an optimistic Masehla. Masehla’s main challenger is Nolene Conrad, who briefly held the national record two years ago.
Meanwhile, Violet Raseboya aims to make an impact in the women’s 800m. She was the best-placed South African in the senior women’s race at the recent Southern Africa Region Cross Country Championships, in Lusaka, Zambia.
"I am currently in the best form of my career. Come Friday, I am certain I can do much more that just improving my lifetime best of 2:09.93 in the 800m," Raseboya explained.
She will have to be at her best to beat the Phalula twins Lebo and Lebohang, as well as Mozambique’s Tino Paulina, who have been steadily improving during the series. In the absence of Namibian Agnes Samaria, who won the event in Germiston and Oudtshoorn, the 800m women’s race is wide open.
Perhaps the first women middle-distance runner who could qualify for the Olympic Games will be Rene Kalmer in the 1500m. After dominating the race during the eThekwini leg of the Yellow Pages Series, she clocked a time of 4:09.83 in Melbourne, Australia where she competed in an IAAF Grand Prix event last month. The IAAF A-qualifier is 4:07.00.
"That was a fine race and a huge boost before Friday. Although there is a possibility that I will be running almost alone upfront, I am now more confident of achieving the Olympic A qualifier," Kalmer admits.
Several sprinters are also set to challenge Gerladine Pillay’s stature as the country’s best female 100m runner in four years, on Friday night. Tsholofelo Thipe, Thandi Vilakazi and Cindy Stewart have made steady progress during the Yellow Pages Series, while Isabel le Roux will be Pillay’s main challenger in the longer 200m.
Africa women’s 400m hurdles champion Janet Wienand has edged closer to the Olympic qualifier of 56.50 seconds each time she has competed. Her main handicap is the lack of competition down the home straight. With a 56.81 to her credit in Germiston, Wienand has some ground to cover on her own to achieve the 55.60 qualifier.
The Yellow Pages Series Final takes place at the LC de Villiers Stadium in Tshwane on Friday evening, with the main programme starting at 4pm. Tickets will be available at the gate.
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