ASA name squad for IAAF junior champs
Johannesburg – Athletics South Africa (ASA) announced a squad of 31 athletes yesterday to participate in the IAAF World Junior Championships in Beijing from August 15 to 20.
The squad of 23 men and eight women were selected after the provisional squad participated in the recent Zone 6 Games in Windhoek and the Southern Region Junior Championships in Mauritius.
South Africa finished sixth on the medals table at the 2004 IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, Italy, with two gold and four silver medals.
Last year the South African team also finished sixth on the medals table at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Morocco, with three gold, one silver and one bronze medal. These medal winners are all included in the team and will be among the favourites to bring home medals from Beijing.
South Africa‘s hopes for a medal will mainly feature on the field events where J P Hoffmann, winner of the gold medal in the shot put last year in Marrakesh, will go all out to annex another gold in this event. Noel Meyer, winner of the gold in the javelin, and Robert Oosthuizen, who represented South Africa with distinction at this year‘s Commonwealth Games, can both end up in the medals, while Simone du Toit can win gold medals in both the shot put and discus for women.
Promising 800m runner Jan Masenamela won a bronze medal in Marrakesh and can again finish in the first three.
At her best Nombulelo Mkenku can surprise in the women‘s sprints, while the men‘s 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relay teams can also bring home a medal.
The team will depart for Beijing on August 6 to allow them enough time to acclimatise. They will return on August 22.
The squad is: MEN: Dayne Le Kay (100m, 4x100m); Duncan Mclean (100m, 4x100m); Tshegofatso Meshoe (200m, 4x100m); Kagisho Kumbane (200m, 4x100m); Alvin Samuels (400m, 4x400m); Pieter Smith (400m, 4x400m); Dirk Gouws (800m); Jan Masenamela (800m); Tshamano Setone (1500m); Lehann Fourie (110mH); Louw Smith (110mH); Juan Bloem (400mH); Wiekus Jonck (400mH); Edwin Molepo (3000m SC); Keenan Watson (Long jump); Robert Oosthuizen (Javelin); Noel Meyer (Javelin); JP Hoffman (Shot put); Nico Grobler (Shot put); Leroux van Tonder (4x100m); Wilhelm van der Vyver (4x100m); Ruaan Grobler (4x400m); Willie de Beer (4x400m). WOMEN: Nombulele Nkenku (100, 200m, 4x100m); Wenda Theron (100m, 200m, 4x100m); Arista Hefer (400m, 4x100m); Angela Wagner (800m); Dastiny Tities (3000m SC); Erika Kleinhans (100mH, 4x100m); Simone du Toit (Shot put, Discus); Claudine Jansen van Rensburg (4x100m) – Sapa