Cape Town - Team South Africa perhaps missed out on a possible additional medal in the men’s 4x100m relay at the Rio Olympics, but the first step in solving that problem for the future was taken by Athletics South Africa (ASA) on Monday.
ASA announced a draft fixture list for the 2017 season, and they have scheduled three elite meetings in March that will also serve as qualifiers for the IAAF World Relays event in the Bahamas in April.
There will be three “one-hour elite competitions” that kick off on March 8 in Bloemfontein, with the next two set for the third and fourth weeks of March at venues to be confirmed.
South Africa boasted top sprinting talent in the shape of national record-holder Akani Simbine, Henricho Bruintjies, 400m star Wayde van Niekerk and Anaso Jobodwana this year, but they never had the opportunities to work together as a team and qualify for the Olympics in months and years leading up to the event.
Olympic champion and world record-holder Van Niekerk stated his willingness to participate in the relay ahead of the IAAF World Athlete of the Year awards, with the South African losing out to Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt in the end.
“I’m not someone who would want to do the 4x400, but I would love to do the 4x100. With the guys we’ve got, quite a generation of sprinters coming through, I’d be keen. The World Relays all depends on the federation, if they’re willing to send us through and if the guys are fit to run,” said Van Niekerk, who added that he wants to run more 100m and 200m races in 2017.
“You can’t just let it be a last-minute thing and say ‘Guys, you’re off to the World Relays’. If the proper preparation has been put into it and we have the right structures and means, I would be willing to go.”
Well, that is what ASA appear to be planning for 2017 ahead of the IAAF World Championships in August in London. The March events would serve as qualifiers for the World Relays in April.
“Next year, we will ensure we are giving our athletes the chance to not only secure their places in national teams for major events, but also give them sufficient opportunities to be prepared to represent our country at the highest level,” ASA president Aleck Skhosana said.
“We have full reason to have heightened expectations after the high performance of our athletes at all levels of competitions this season, and therefore believe athletes and their coaches will focus on tackling better performances.
“Following the rise in standards across sprint events, two of the one-hour track meetings are planned to be used to prepare athletes for the World Relays, with ASA sending a team to this event for the first time.
“We also want to offer a rare chance for distance runners to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in the 10 000m event. On the road, the ASA National Marathon Championships will incorporate the Durban Marathon on 9 April.”
But if the sprinters do qualify for the World Relays, they could miss out on the national track and field championships in Potchefstroom on April 20-22. The Relays take place on April 22-23.