Gorries and Stewart are named EP‘s top athletes
On Track, with Annelise Jerling
PAUL Gorries and Cindy Stewart walked away with the top honours when Eastern Province Athletics honoured their top performers on Saturday at the annual awards evening.
Gorries and Stewart were named male and female athlete of the year respectively.
Coach of the year Magda Botha, who is widely recognised as one of the top female coaches in the world, was the guest speaker and received a standing ovation at the end of her speech.
Brian Horne was named technical official of the year and also received life membership from the province, while the NMMU Athletics Club was named club of the year.
ACCORDING to a Sunday publication, trouble is again brewing at Athletics House, home of the national body Athletics SA.
The report said that Leonard Chuene would be opposed for the position of chairman at the next election and that there was a planned comeback to the sport by former ASA executive member Banele Sindani.
The report also said that Chuene was opposed to the comeback of former colleague Sindani.
With the Osaka World Championships only weeks away, you can only hope that the issues, if true, are resolved quickly so ASA and our athletes can start focusing on the August event.
At this stage, our medal hopes are looking bleak with only a few athletes capable of a podium finish.
SOUTH African athletes continued their overseas safari in Europe last week with Johan Cronje and Juan van Deventer, the country‘s leading 1 500m runners, again showing their form.
After victories by Van Deventer at meetings in Dessau and Rehlingen, it was Cronje‘s turn at the 10th Askina International meeting in Kassel, Germany, with a winning 3:38.04.
Ofentse Mogawane, who has been injured for most of this year, recorded his best time of the season when finishing third in the 400m in 46,87.
Shaun Bownes, national record-holder in the 110m hurdles, continued his hectic schedule by finishing sixth in the 110m hurdles in 13,73, while Amanda Kotze won the 400m hurdles B event in 57,41.
Sherwin Vries finished third in the 200m race at the Primo Nebiolo Memorial meeting in Turin on Friday evening. Earlier, Vries competed in the 100m race and finished sixth in a time of 10,49.
ASAFA Powell, world athlete of the year and the fastest man in history, has signed to compete in the entire series of the IAAF Golden League, starting on Friday in Oslo.
In the six meetings of the Golden League series, the 24-year-old star will be aiming to lay claim to the $1-million (R7.2-million) jackpot.
Athletes must win at all six meetings to acquire at least a share of track and field athletics‘ biggest annual payday.
During the 2006 season, the Jamaican sprint ace remained undefeated in the 100m and run under 10 seconds on an unprecedented 12 occasions.
He also won a share of the Golden League jackpot, twice equalled his own world 100m record of 9,77, won the IAAF World Athletics final and, at the start of a long season in March, took the Commonwealth Games gold medal.
The meeting dates for the Golden League series are: Friday, June 15: Oslo; Friday, July 6: Paris; Friday, July 13: Rome; Friday, September 7: Zurich; Friday, September 14: Brussels; Sunday, September 16: Berlin.
The events for the jackpot are: men: 100m, 1 500m, 110m hurdles, triple jump, javelin; women: 100m, 400m, 100m hurdles, high jump, pole vault.
SUNDAY sees the running of the Comrades Marathon from City Hall in Maritzburg to the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
The 89km race will be broadcast live on SABC 2 and we wish all our East Cape participants a safe journey and the best of luck for the race.