CAPE TOWN – Olympic champion Caster Semenya and silver medallist Sunette Viljoen will be two of the South African stars from the Rio Games who will begin their World Championships quest in Potchesfstroom on Wednesday night.
Athletics South Africa announced a star-studded line-up for the third leg of the Speed Series on Tuesday, which will include 800m legend Semenya in the unfamiliar 3 000m, while Viljoen will launch the javelin in competition for the first time in 2017.
Sprint sensation Akani Simbine, who finished fifth in the 100m final at last year’s Olympics, will look to continue his red-hot form in the 200m.
Simbine became the first South African to run sub-10 and sub-20 second times in the 100m and 200m on the same day when he clocked 9.93 and 19.95 respectively in Pretoria on March 6.
But he won’t have things all his own way, as teenager Clarence Munyai ran a new SA junior record of 20.10 at the same meeting in Pretoria, and would want to push for a sub-20 second time himself.
Following the issues with the electronic timing system in the second Speed Series meeting in Bloemfontein last week, ASA president Aleck Skhosana said on Tuesday that they have put extra measures, including a special team of technical experts, to avoid a repeat.
“We don’t want to see failure here and we mean business,” Skhosana said in a statement. “Everything must be perfect.
“The failure of the timing system in Mangaung (Bloemfontein) was an isolated incident which affected two events, but did not affect the rest of a good competition we had.
“As we await the outcome of the probe into it, we have decided to take precautionary measures to enable a smooth running of the Potchefstroom leg.”
ASA said the manufacturer of the electronic timing device is being engaged to “assist in establishing the cause of the error which saw the transponder in the starting device failing”, which saw hand-timing being utilised.
Another top competitor in the 200m will be Botswana’s 400m stalwart Isaac Makwala, who will take part in both distances.
National 100m champion Henricho Bruintjies is listed to participate in Potchefstroom as well, while LJ van Zyl will take part in the 400m hurdles.
In the boxing ring @UrbanWarriorBox. Can't wait for my first knockout punch @AthleticsSA_ night series. @London2017 pic.twitter.com/97Xto1QkSB
— Sunette Viljoen (@Sunette_Viljoen) March 13, 2017
Apart from Semenya and Viljoen, Olympic 400m hurdler Wenda Nel will do some speed work in the 200m, and Lynique Prinsloo will look for a big distance in the long jump.
The event is scheduled to start at 5pm at the North-West University’s Kenneth McArthur Stadium.