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SA records fall at IAAF Wold Race Walking champs

Cape Town - Two national records fell over the weekend, with ultra-distance athlete Natalie le Roux and Junior prospect Francois Jacobs rewriting the South African books at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships in Taicang, China on Saturday and Sunday.

 Le Roux, however, finished 23rd in the 50km Women race - the newest event to be added to the programme at the biennial championships - after covering the gruelling distance in 4:48:00.

She bettered her own African record of 4:54:33 which was set in George, SA last year, while Rui Liang of China won a breakthrough contest, setting a new world record of 4:04:36. 

Jacobs was also in great form, taking 36th position in 44:37* in the U20 Men 10km race to shave 16 seconds off the national record of 44:53 set by Marthinus Esterhuizen in Oudtshoorn, Western Cape in July 2004. 

Antonio Farmer finished 42nd in 46:49, setting a personal best while Jacques Heymans was 43rd in 49:53. The national Junior squad ended 14th in the team competition. 

In the 20km Senior Men race, Lebogang Shange produced a solid performance to grab 15th spot in 1:23:56, less than three minutes behind Japanese athlete Koki Ikeda who won in 1:21:13. 

Wayne Snyman finished 39th in 1:27:27, Sizwe Ndebele took 73rd place in 1:33:29 and Tebatso Mashimbyi was 77th in 1:35:08. The SA men's squad finished 10th in the team contest. 

Anel Oosthuizen, the only South African representative in the 20km Senior Women event, settled for 68th position in 1:39:09. 

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