Share

SA Olympic medallist Meyer: We need more female athletes

Cape Town - Olympic silver-medallist Elana Meyer believes that there should be more South African female representation at the Olympics and international arena.

Meyer won silver for South Africa in the 10 000m at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. 

The 53-year-old revealed that although South African athletics is in a good place, Meyer was concerned over the lack of representation of female athletes.

"I think South Africa performed incredible well at the last Olympics. If you look at the performances of Wayde van Niekerk, Caster Semenya - they really brought back medals and records - and really performed well on the international arena," Meyer told Sport24 on Friday at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon press conference.

"But I do think there's always a opportunity to do more, we don't need a few stars, we need a equal representation. We need more women representing South Africa on the world stages, if you look at the three last Olympic Games, the women made only about a third of the team.

"We need to invest in the development of female athletes and this is what I'm doing with Endurocad, trying to insure that our young female athletes get education and they get the opportunity to develop in the sporting talent."

Meyer is currently a ambassador for this weekend's Cape Town Marathon and revealed that being part of the IAAF Gold Label-status city marathon is a "dream come true". 

"This has been a fantastic journey, as a athlete I've always wanted to run a major race on South African soil, which I never got the opportunity to run a marathon against world class athletes," said Meyer.

"So this is really a dream come true, seeing how the event has grown... I'm really proud to see what has happened, it's fantastic to welcome the world to Cape Town." 

The Cape Town Marathon main race gets underway on Sunday from 06:40.

The marathon's jam-packed diary includes:

Saturday, September 14

Race registration and expo at Century City Conference Centre

Two Peace Trail Runs (22km and 12km) and 5km Peace Run

Captains Challenge breakfast with Francois Pienaar

Afternoon high tea for women in sport and health at Tsogo Sun Cullinan Hotel

Sunday, September 15

42.2km Marathon

10km Peace Run

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1122 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1290 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1988 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE