Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - Athletics South Africa (ASA) has announced a 29-strong squad for the IAAF
World Championships in Beijing next month.
This is one of the strongest teams in recent years with 13 of the athletes boasting national records in their respective events.
It is the sprint department where the records have been tumbling at regular intervals.
This weekend women's 100m exponent Carina Horn became the latest athlete to etch her name into the record books when she equalled Evette de Klerk’s national mark of 11.06 seconds.
South Africa will be taking a strong sprinting contingent to the world championships.
Wayde van Niekerk, who recently became the first African to break through the 44-second barrier in the 400m will be leading the charge.
The South African one-lap record holder's 43.96 he posted in France earlier in July is the third fastest in the 400m this year.
He will be joined by Olympic finalist and men's 200m record holder Anaso Jobodwana, whose personal best time of 20.04 set in May is the eighth fastest in the world so far in 2015.
Joint-national record holders in the 100m, Henricho Bruintjies and Akani Simbine will be running in the short sprint, while the former will take on the 100-200m double.
There is still time for athletes to qualify as all valid performances up to July 31 would be considered for inclusion into the team.
South African one-lap hurdler Cornel Fredericks made a superb return to the track to qualify for the World Championships in Madrid over the weekend in his first race since recovering from an Achilles injury.
He will be joining SA 400m hurdles record holder LJ van Zyl, who has also returned to form this year.
South African women's 400m hurdles ace Wenda Nel is among only five female athletes to have qualified.
Three of South Africa's long jumpers have been selected including Olympic silver medallist Khotso Mokoena.
Zarck Visser, who recently leapt to the second best distance by a South African with his 8.41m, and national champion Ruswahl Samaai with a personal best of 8.38m will round off the vertical jumpers.
Visser and Samaai's efforts are ranked second and fourth best this year, respectively.
South African women’s javelin queen Sunette Viljoen boasts the leading heave this year with a 66.62m throw she let loose in Melbourne in March.
London Olympics decathlete Willem Coertzen's latest South African record of 8 398 points in the combined events is the fifth best in the world this season.
Reinhardt van Rensburg, who won a bronze at the recent World Student Games will be South Africa's only 800m specialist at the championships.
Student Games women's 400m champion Justine Palframan will be running the 200-400m double in Beijing after qualifying for both.
SA track and field team:
Men
100m:
Akani Simbine
Henricho Bruintjies
Anaso Jobodwana
200m:
Anaso Jobodwana
Akani Simbine
400m:
Wayde van Niekerk
Berend Koekemoer
800m:
Reinhardt van
Rensburg
1 500m:
Johan Cronje
10 000m:
Stephen Mokoka
110m:
Antonio Alkana
400m Hurdles
LJ van Zyl
Cornel Fredericks
Long jump:
Zarck Visser
Khotso Mokoena
Ruswahl Samaai
Triple jump:
Khotso Mokoena
Shot Put:
Orazio Cremona
Jaco Engelbrecht
Javelin throw:
Rocco van Rooyen
Decathlon:
Willem Coertzen
20km Race Walk:
Lebogang Shange
50km Race Walk:
Marc Mundell
Marathon:
Benedict Moeng
Desmond Mokgobu
Lucas Jani
Sibusiso Nzima
Women:
100m:
Carina Horn
200m:
Justine Palframan
400m:
Justine Palframan
400m Hurdles:
Wenda Nel
Javelin Throw:
Sunette Viljoen
Marathon:
Tanith Maxwell
