Crowds witnessed remarkable performances and shattered records over the past few days at the 2024 University Sport South Africa Track & Field Championships, concluded at the Coetzenburg Stadium in Stellenbosch, in the Western Cape, on Saturday, 6 April, 2024
Jo-Ane van Dyk, representing North West University (NWU), etched her name in history by shattering a 21-year-old record formerly held by Sunette Viljoen in the Women’s Senior Javelin event. Van Dyk clinched the gold with an astonishing throw of 62.70 meters, surpassing Viljoen’s previous mark of 61.59 meters.
Adding to NWU’s triumph, Khathala Neheng delivered a stunning performance, breaking not one but two records. Neheng clocked 1:14:00 in the Women’s Senior Half Marathon, breaking Portia Ngwenya’s 11-year-old record. Additionally, she shattered her own record in the Women’s Senior 10km race, finishing with a time of 33:43.56.
Joviale Mbisha of UJ Sport secured her first-ever gold medal at the championships in the Women’s Senior 100m event.
Although pleased with the victory, Mbisha expressed a desire to improve her time, saying: “I feel super excited about the outcome, but not ideally happy with the time but at the end of the day I’m happy with the win because it was all about getting my first USSA gold medal this year.”
Over three days of intense competition, Tuks emerged as the champions, accumulating 330 points. North-West University secured the second position with 285 points, followed by the University of Johannesburg with 256 points, and TUT with 198 points.
Tuks’s female athletes were the standout performers, contributing significantly to the university’s success. Out of the 21 individual medals won by Tuks, an impressive 15 came from the heroic performances of female athletes.
One notable figure among Tuks’s athletes is Charné Swart, a medical student, who showcased exceptional resilience and determination. Swart clinched victory in both the 800 and 1500 meters for the third consecutive year.
The championships also witnessed these outstanding performances:
- In the Women’s Senior 3000m SteepleChase, Khunedi Mashishi of UJ Sport claimed gold and set a personal best time of 10:58.53.
- Zeney Geldenhuys of TUT emerged victorious in the Women’s Senior 400m with a time of 53.67 seconds, followed by Marlie Viljoen of Tuks winning silver and Angelique Strijdom from TUT taking bronze.
- Carmie Prinsloo of Tuks dominated the Women’s Senior 5000m race.
- Yolandi Stander of Kovsies secured gold in the Women’s Senior Discus final with a throw of 54.04 meters.
- Andrea Cornelissen of Maties showcased her prowess by winning the Women’s Senior Long Jump final.
- Marissa Swanepoel of NWU triumphed in the Women’s Senior 10,000m walk, finishing in a time of 51:37.82.
- The Women’s 4x100m relay title was claimed by UJ Sport.
Main Photo Caption: Jo-Ane van Dyk, representing North West University (NWU), etched her name in history by shattering a 21-year-old record formerly held by Sunette Viljoen in the Women’s Senior Javelin event at the 2024 University Sport South Africa Track & Field Championships, concluded at the Coetzenburg Stadium on Saturday, 6 April, 2024. Photo: Ray Chaplin Photography
Photo 2 Caption: Joviale Mbisha of UJ Sport secured her first-ever gold medal at the championships in the Women’s Senior 100m Photo: USSA on X
Photo 3 Caption: Andrea Cornelissen of Maties showcased her prowess by winning the Women’s Senior Long Jump final. Photo: Ray Chaplin Photography
Photo 4 Caption: USSA National Championship 2024 athletes including 400m bronze medalist Angelique Strijdom (left), Nicola Gibbon, 400m title winning Zeney Geldenhuys (second from right) and Hannah van Niekerk (right). Photo: USSA on Facebook
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
