Formidable SA team for Beijing Champs
Great things will be expected from the sprinting contingent which produced a string of performances that count among the best to date for 2015.
The most impressive has been Wayde van Niekerk who has a clocked the third fastest 400m time this year. His time of 43.96 at the start of July in France is bettered only by Isaac Makwala (Botswana) and Kirani James (Grenada) who clocked times of 43.72 and 43.95 respectively.
The team for Beijing shows two additions to the 29-member provisional squad that ASA announced last month. Caster Semenya (800m) and Victor Hogan (discus) recently recorded performances that earned them a late call-up after ASA offered athletes a period of grace to prove themselves.
South Africa will be best represented in the men’s marathon where Benedict Moeng, Desmond Mokgobu, Lucas Jani and Sibusiso Nzima will all be on the starting line.
The championships run until Sunday, August 30, at the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium, with its 50,000 capacity.
The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) recently announced that all the evening sessions have been fully booked.
The SA 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 Hurdles: 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: 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: Sunette Viljoen
Marathon: Tanith Maxwell -- Herman Gibbs
ANA