PRETORIA – The Tuks Athletics 400m hurdler Constant Pretorius is hoping to make a statement at Friday's Varsity Cup at Tuks in Pretoria.
He didn't win at the recent nationals but he did make all the early running with pace that “ripped’ the race wide open. As a result, six athletes dipped under 49 seconds.
Pretorius, who will be competing at the Commonwealth Games, was the top male athlete, winning in 50.16 at the first Varsity meeting at Tuks.
He has since improved his season’s best time to 49.72, and he is confident of running even faster times. His best time is 49.28.
Pretorius’s new-found confidence sprouts from his performance at the South African Championships. After setting the fast pace, his rivals only caught up with him with three hurdles remaining.
As far as he is concerned, it was one of the most exciting 400m hurdles races in a long time.
“The national championships was the first time that I decided just to run and enjoy myself without worrying about my pace rhythm. It felt great. I was not tired afterwards. I am planning to do the same on Friday night at the Varsity meeting.
"I might experiment a bit going over the last two hurdles. I believe that I have the ability to dip under 49 seconds. I just need to prove it to myself,” said the Tuks hurdler.