Khotso, Viljoen gear for Games

Johannesburg - Two of South Africa’s 13 track and field entrants for the London Olympics will turn out this weekend in the penultimate Diamond League meeting before the start of the quadrennial Games.

Khotso Mokoena and Sunette Viljoen, two of the country’s strongest medal contenders, will compete on Friday and Saturday respectively at the London Grand Prix.

Mokoena, South Africa’s only medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games, squares up against a long jump field that includes Olympic champion Irving Saladino of Panama and World Championships silver medallist Mitchell Watt of Australia.

Viljoen will have a chance to gain a psychological advantage over world record holder Barbora Spotakova in the women’s javelin throw.

Having defeated Spotakova once this season, she will hope to trump the Czech thrower again just two weeks before the start of the London Games.

Viljoen heaved the javelin a national record distance of 69.35m in New York last month - the furthest throw in the world this year.