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Maputo - South Africa’s hopes of winning medals in athletics at the All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique will rest almost completely on the shoulders of the field athletes.
The athletics contingent, consisting of 17 members, has only two track athletes after they were hard hit by eight withdrawals from the initial squad.
The Games run concurrently with the final two Diamond League events of the season, resulting in some of the country’s top athletes not being available for the continental showpiece.
South Africa should still return from the Games with ten medals despite the absence of the track athletes.
South African and African javelin record holder Sunette Viljoen will make her appearance at the Games after her recent fine displays at the IAAF World Championships.
Viljoen clinched the bronze medal at the global spectacle with a throw of 68.38 metres improving on her 66.47m continental record.
She followed up her performance at the world championships with another superb throw at the Zurich Diamond League meeting on Thursday with a best heave of 67.46m.
The javelin thrower won bronze at the last Games in Algiers, Algeria with a best throw of 54.46, while training partner Justine Robbeson won gold with a 58.09 throw.
Robbeson is also in Mozambique to defend her title.
Athletics coach Owen van Niekerk said at least 90 percent of the team could return to South Africa with medals in the bag.
"We should win a medal in each event even though we have a small team," said Van Niekerk.
The team also includes hammer throw legend Chris Harmse, who will attempt to be the first athlete to win four gold medals at four consecutive All Africa Games.
"It means a lot for me to compete in any competition where I can represent my country and I take it very seriously," said Harmse.
"I thought this might be my last one but I am taking it event by event."
Harmse said he was not in the same shape as he had been, in the past, juggling a full time job with his training schedule.
"It is my fourth All Africa Games and it would make it more special because no one else could win four in a row," he said.
In the shot put, Roelie Potgieter will be a strong contender after winning silver at the previous Games.
Potgieter said the competition would be tough as there were approximately four shot putters who had thrown personal bests of over 19 metres.
There are only two jumpers in the team, with triple jumper Tumelo Thagane and high jumper Anika Smith taking part in the continental Games.
Thagane will hope to make up for his disappointment of the world championships where he was knocked out in the qualifying round.
On the track South Africa pin their hopes on women’s 400m hurdler Wenda Theron who has shown real potential over the last year.
She will be joined by sprinter Lebogang Moeng who finished fifth in the heats at the world championships.
