All eyes on North West province as Potchefstroom plays host to ASA Senior Championships
The event will be hosted at the MWU McArthur Athletics Stadium from 24-26 April.
South Africa's Prudence Sekgodiso reacts after competing in the women's 800m semi-final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Photo: Martin BERNETTI / AFP)
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa’s best track and field athletes have gathered in Potchefstroom this week for the ASA Senior Championships.
The event will be hosted at the MWU McArthur Athletics Stadium from 24-26 April.
In the men’s event, top athlete Olympian and world junior champion Bayanda Walaza will be lining up against 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk, who will feature in the 100m and 200m races.
Joining them in Potchefstroom will be Abduraghmaan Karriem, Tsebo Matsoso and Retshidisitswe Mlenga, and local favourites Benjamin Richardson.
Viwe Jingqi will be defending her 100m national title against 17-year-old Hannah Hope Vermaak, who beat Jingqi at the recent Golden Grand Prix in Botswana, where both athletes clocked 11.44 seconds.
Olympian Prudence Sekgodiso will also headline the championships after winning the women's 800m world indoor title earlier this season.
But she will have to fight it out with Charne Swart, who won the 2024 national two-lap title.
In the field events, Olympic shot-put finalist Kyle Blignaut, who landed the shot at 20.32m at the Golden Grand Prix in Botswana two weeks ago, will be competing. As well as former World Athletics U20 Championships high jump medallist Brian Raats, who cleared 2.21m at an indoor meeting in Slovakia in February.