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Articles tagged #Glenrose Xaba
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Glenrose Xaba is not putting any pressure on herself as she prepares to make her highly anticipated 42km debut at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon next month.
Xaba again showed her superb form over the weekend, winning the Spar Grand Prix 10km race in Gqeberha in 31:22.
She was just 10 seconds outside the SA record (31:12) which she set at the Absa Run Your City race in Durban in July.
Running from the front in excellent conditions, Xaba shook off a strong field to extend her Grand Prix series lead, with 18-year-old Ethiopian athlete Diniya Abaraya finishing second in 31:33 and Tadu Nare taking third spot in 31:48, one week after winning the Mpumalanga Marathon.
Her latest victory added to a long list of wins picked up by Xaba this season, including the national 5,000m and 10,000m titles on the track and the SA 10km and 21km titles on the road.
Though it had been a long year for the 29-year-old athlete, Xaba was all set to make her maiden appearance over the classic 42km distance in the Mother City on 20 October.
“My long runs have gone well and I’ve been able to adjust in training,” Xaba said,
“I know it’s a big step for me but I’m very excited to try something new.”
Assessing her marathon potential
The field in Cape Town also includes Cian Oldknow, who set a personal best of 2:25:08 in February, and with a local battle on the cards, Gerda Steyn’s SA marathon record (2:24:03) might be in danger.
Xaba, however, insisted she was not concerned about challenging Steyn’s record in her first attempt at the marathon distance. Instead, she hoped to give herself an indication of whether it might be worth making a more permanent step up in distance.
“The national record is not my focus. If it comes, I will be happy to achieve that, but it’s not my focus,” she said.
“I want to try a marathon and see what time I will be able to achieve in future, and see if I’m strong in the marathon or if I need to focus on 10km and 21km.”
(09/25/2024) Views: 120 ⚡AMPThe Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has sold out a record 21,000 participants for the 2024 event, thanks to the popularity of the #YouDoCount campaign. This success strengthens the marathon’s position as the foremost marathon on the African continent, as it pursues the renowned Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) classification. The amazing support of both the local and worldwide running communities has been instrumental in reaching this milestone, Cape {town} Etc reports.
This year’s marathon promises to be one of the most exciting in the event’s history, with the strongest elite field ever assembled on African territory. This exceptional field offers an astonishing amount of awards, including
2 Gold World Champion Medals
1 Silver World Champion Medal
Olympic Bronze Marathon Medal
1 All African Games Gold Medal
13 Abbott World Marathon Majors Medals, 5 of which are gold
1 World Record Holder
10 World Athletics Gold Label Elites
The stakes are bigger than ever, with a $50,000 prize fund available to the top podium finishers. The men’s and women’s marathon champions will each get $25,000, with the second and third place finishers receiving $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Barry Van Blerk, Race Director of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, expressed his excitement:‘This year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is set to showcase the best marathon elite field ever assembled on African soil. With a prize pool to match, we expect an extraordinary level of competition, and, weather permitting, the course records will undoubtedly be challenged.
All eyes will be on South African competitors Glenrose Xaba and Cian Oldknow, who both hope to make history. Xaba, in her marathon debut, has previously established herself by breaking Elana Meyer’s 23-year-old 10 km record and dominating numerous distances, including 5,000m, 10,000m, and 10km. As she progresses to the marathon distance, Xaba’s development will pose a substantial challenge to veteran marathoners.
Cian Oldknow’s marathon PB of 2:25:08, set at the Seville Marathon in February of this year, is the second best time by a South African. At the Durban International Marathon in April, Oldknow finished in 2:29:46, making him the SA Marathon Champion. She is on a mission to break South Africa’s women’s marathon record, which could pit her against Xaba. With both competitors at the height of their abilities, the race will be nothing short of amazing.
Tsige Haileslase (Ethiopia) and Adane Kebede Gebre (Ethiopia), who won the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in 2023, will return to defend their crowns. Haileslase, who ran a personal best of 2:24:17 last year, is back and determined to win consecutive races. Gebre, a force to be reckoned with in the men’s race, will have stiff opposition as he seeks straight victories against this year’s strong field.
‘There’s no doubt that African runners dominate in the sport, and as a proudly Pan-African group, it is only fitting that we ensure the rest of the continent is able to unite in Cape Town to run Africa’s only Abbott World Marathon Majors candidacy race,’ shares Karl Socikwa – Group Executive of Market Development and Sustainability at Sanlam, the event’s title sponsor. ‘We have extended invitations to athletics bodies across our 27 markets in an attempt to identify promising top marathon runners. Our commitment to unlocking Africa’s untapped talent will see 25 athletes from countries such as Mali, Namibia, Botswana and more, compete with confidence on a world stage on African soil.’
In addition to the extraordinary competitive field, race organisers have worked closely with the City of Cape Town to ensure a safe and seamless experience for both runners and spectators. JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, praised the collaboration, stating, ‘The City’s Events Coordination Committee has been working diligently behind the scenes with race management, mapping out all the logistical plans for a safe and secure route for the marathon. All of our safety and security personnel are preparing to provide a smooth and excellent platform for this elite field of athletes to chase their personal bests. We are looking forward to providing the Cape Town experience for an elite field of athletes.’
(09/17/2024) Views: 125 ⚡AMPThe Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is a City Marathon held in Cape Town, South Africa, which is sponsored by Sanlam, the City of Cape Town and Vital Health Foods. The marathon is held on a fast and flat course, starting and finishing in Green Point, near the Cape Town Stadium. Prior to existing in its current format, the Cape Town...
more...Another race, another Kenyan clean sweep! What’s new as the East Africans continue to show their dominance in road running circles with displays that leave their opponents wondering just what it is they should do to catch up?
Nothing really, except that some South African runners were left lamenting the presence of their adversaries from the east despite their having earlier welcomed it as good for competition.
Vincent Largat and Diana Chepkorir reigned supreme in the men and women’s races respectively to be crowned champions of the Absa Run Your City Gqeberha 10K in windy conditions on Sunday morning.
It was a result similar to the one from the inaugural race in the Friendly City last year in which the Kenyan duo of Daniel Ebenyo and Fridah Nedina reigned victorious.
While Chepkorir started the race as favourite given her stellar PB of 29:56 ran in Castellon, Spain in February, Largat came out of left field to stun a confident group of South African runners who were out to run fast times.
Chepkorir ran home in a fairly good time of 31:15 ahead of Nancy Sang (31:39) and Ethiopian Selam Gebre (31:42) – with the three runners swelling their bank accounts by R30 000, R25 000 and R20 000 respectively.
The first South African woman home was Glenrose Xaba who finished way back in sixth place in a time of 33:04.Ahead of her in fifth place was Maxed elite Running Club’s Blandina Makatisi who broke Lesotho’s national record by a mere second in running a 32:05.
Such had been the low profile kept by Largat that he was not part of the elite men’s pre-race conference on Friday – so much so that the locals lamented the absence of the east Africans.
They did not know what hit them though as Largat pulled the proverbial rug from underneath their feat in a race that was tight until about the sixth kilometre when the top four – Largat, Elroy Gelant, Precious Mashele and Thabang Mosiako – broke away from the rest.
Fast finish
Largat proved to have a better kick at the end to breast the finish tape in a time of 28:01. National record holder Mashele appeared set for yet another runners-up berth as he did last year when he set the 27:35 mark only to be pipped at the finish by his Boxer Athletic Club teammate Gelant – the duo finishing just two seconds apart in 28:17 and 28:19.
Local boy Mosiako, who had been billed as the favourite, was fourth in 28:30 and surprisingly lamented the windy conditions as not being conducive to a good run. And to think there had been talk of him being at an advantage given he knows the route and is used to the conditions of his homeground.
The ‘slow’ race ensured that none of the local runners got to bank any of the incentives put aside for them for either breaking the national record or dipping under particular fast times.
All is not lost though, with the series still having four more races to go. Next up is the Run Your City Cape Town 10K on Sunday, May 12.
(04/07/2024) Views: 436 ⚡AMPThe Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K will treat all runners, elite and social, to a fantastic on route experience from start to finish! Boasting an exciting route that incorporates iconic landmarks and lively on route entertainment compliments of local entertainers and performance groups, runners (and walkers) can expect to see world class performances in the city that is well...
more...Kenyan duo Victor Kipruto and Veronica Loleo reigned supreme in Sunday's Run Your City Cape Town 10K, which was run in windy and blustery conditions in the Mother City,
Kipruto won the men's event in 28:28 after an exciting duel in the final stages of the race. The next eight runners all finished in under 29 minutes.
The next four places went to South Africans led by Precious Mashele (28:36), Thabang Mosiako (28:38) and Elroy Gelant (28:51).
“My plan was to win the race. I came here to win,” said Kipruto, who ran the second half of the race in 13:45.
“We were a big bunch in the beginning because of the wind, and it is easier to run in a bunch when the wind blows, but once we had some shelter, I knew it was time to go.”
Second-placed Mashele led a bunch of about 20 runners that included SA 5 000m record holder Gelant, at the halfway mark. He said the cool conditions proved restrictive in the final stages.
“I felt a bit cold towards the end and that stopped me from being able to sprint in the final kilometre,” said Mashele, who broke the SA 10km record in Gqeberha, taking three seconds off the previous record.
The women's race was dominated by international runners who claimed the first five places.
Loleo, who came into the race with a 30:53 personal won in 31:38, She was followed by Ugandan Docus Ajok (32:09), Lesotho's Neheng Khatala (32:13), Uganda's Prisca Chesang (32:45) and Ethiopia's Genet Abdurkadir Habela (33:08).
The first South African across the line was sixth-placed Glenrose Xaba in 33:35.
After the race, Loleo said the race had gone according to plan.
“I stuck to the pacesetter as he was doing exactly what we asked him to do,” said Loleo. “I’m really happy with my run in the wind.”
Michael Meyer, managing director of Stillwater Sports and founder of the Run Your City Series said: “Congratulations to Victor Kipruto and Veronica Loleo for their stellar performances.
“Not even the Cape Doctor could get in the way of these world-class athletes.
"Today the event was back to its full-scale, post the Covid-19 pandemic, and it felt amazing. From Monday onwards it’s full steam ahead as we shift our focus to Durban.”
(05/15/2023) Views: 610 ⚡AMPAround the corner we have one more edition of the 10K Valencia Ibercaja, organized one more year by the C. 10K VALENCIA Athletics premiering the running season in Valencia. It is a massive urban race with more than 3,000 registered annually of 10 kilometers, where the maximum duration of the test will be 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes). The...
more...Caster Semenya’s running career is in danger of being over after not competing at the South African championships on Thursday due to new World Athletics regulations.
Semenya had been entered in the 10 000m race that was scheduled to take place early on Thursday morning, but despite being present at the NWU McArthur Athletics Stadium in Potchefstroom, the former 800m Olympic champion watched from the sidelines as one of her training partners, Glenrose Xaba, won the gold medal in a time of 33 minutes and 2.13 seconds (33:02.13).
That was due to the change in the eligibility regulations regarding athletes who have differences of sexual development (DSD), like Semenya, which was taken by World Athletics last week.
It is the same regulations that prevented the 32-year-old athlete from participating in distances from the 400m to the mile over the last few years unless her testosterone levels are suppressed to below 2.5nmol/L for a minimum of six months, via either medication or surgery.
But the regulations now cover all distances on the track and all field events too, and the time period to reach the required testosterone levels is now 24 months instead of six, which could have a devastating effect on DSD athletes around the world.
Semenya – who won 800m gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, as well as the 2009, 2011 and 2017 world championships – has steadfastly refused to take any medical action to reach those levels, and first moved down from the 400m, 800m and 1 500m to the 200m sprint, before setting her sights on the 5 000m.
She was unable to qualify in the long-distance event for last year’s world championships in Eugene, Oregon, and appeared to be targeting the 10 000m this year after entering the national championships in that event in Potchefstroom.
The change in the regulations to include all events on the track and in the field came into effect on Friday, March 31, but while Athletics South Africa have said in a statement that they are taking legal advice on the change in the regulations, they are “duty-bound to adhere to and implement the new regulations”.
“Whilst ASA is considering the new regulations and taking legal advice thereon, in the interim, it is duty-bound to adhere to and implement the new regulations, and as such, cannot allow any of those affected athletes to participate in any world ranking competition or international events in contravention of the said regulations,” the local governing body stated.
“In this regard, ASA is still awaiting the outcome of the legal challenge lodged against the regulations, which is still to be heard and decided upon by the European Court of Human Rights.
“ASA also reaffirms its gratitude to the government of South Africa, UNHRC (UN Human Rights Commission), the WHO (World Health Organization), World Medical Association, different governments around the world, global icons and fellow national federations that have continued to rally behind this noble course of supporting the challenge against these highly discriminatory regulations.”
(03/31/2023) Views: 887 ⚡AMPThe two-time Olympic gold medalist, who is eyeing a place in the South African team for the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, was using the shorter race to build up speed for preferred 5000m.
Caster Semenya was the star attraction of the second edition of the Athletics South Africa Grand Prix in Cape Town on Wednesday (March 23) and the two-time Olympic champion didn't disappoint, racing to her fastest ever women's 3000m.
Running in only her second major event this season, the double women's 800m gold medalist took charge of the race with two laps to go and held on to cross the finish line in a personal best of 8:54.97.
Semenya, who was using the race to build up speed for her now preferred event the 5000m, trailed early leader Kyla Jacobs before making the decisive move and dip below nine minutes for the first time over the shorter distance.
“The run was a little bit tricky,” Semenya said in an interview with World Track.
“Fortunately before the start, the wind died down a bit and worked in our favor. It was a great race, happy with the result. The target obviously was to break nine minutes and we achieved the goal [so] now we’ll have to go back to the drawing board and work more on mileage.”
The leaner looking Semenya finished comfortably ahead of her closest challenger Aynslee Van Graan who timed 9:09.63 while her compatriot and training partner Glenrose Xaba finished in third place in 9:12.51.
The triple 800m world champion’s previous personal best over the 3000m was 9:04:20 from Potchefstroom in May 2021 when she was chasing qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021.
She missed out on her target of 15:10.00 which meant she didn't qualify for the Olympics after finishing in fourth place in a 5000m meet in Belgium in 15:50.12 in June 2021.
The South African 5000m national champion, who raced to her personal best of 15:32.15 in May 2021 opened her season with a 5000m of 15:36.55 on March 12 at the Gauteng North Championships in Pretoria.
She is eyeing qualification for the World Athletics Championships in Oregon. The qualification mark for the worlds set for July 15 to 24 for the women’s 5000m is 15:10.00.
(03/24/2022) Views: 1,047 ⚡AMPBudapest is a true capital of sports, which is one of the reasons why the World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023 is in the right place here. Here are some of the most important world athletics events and venues where we have witnessed moments of sporting history. Throughout the 125-year history of Hungarian athletics, the country and Budapest have hosted numerous...
more...Double Olympic 800 meters champion Caster Semenya moved closer to qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Games in a new event after defending her South African championships 5,000m title in Pretoria Thursday.
Semenya trimmed nearly 15 seconds off her personal best by crossing the line in 15 minutes 52.28 sec - 42.28 sec outside the Tokyo qualifying time of 15:10.
The race was staged at an altitude of 1,339 m (4,393 feet) and Semenya is considering running the same distance at sea level, where the air is less thin and times generally faster.
"If the guys in Durban (sea-level city) do something in May, I might run," Semenya said after her victory.
The qualifying deadline for Tokyo is June 29 with the Games scheduled from July 23 to August 8.
Semenya cannot defend the 800m title in Japan as she refuses to abide by World Athletics' testosterone-reducing regulations covering distances from 400m to the mile.
The South African is among a minority of female athletes who have an unusually high level of testosterone, which gives them added strength.
Two legal bids by the South African to overturn the ban have failed and she has taken her fight to the European Court of Human Rights, who have not indicated when the case will be heard.
"I am pretty happy with how I ran (today) - it is all about having fun. I can't really focus on Tokyo if I'm still building up myself at the moment."
The 30-year-old winner of the London and Rio 800m Olympic gold medals turned the tables on her training partner Glenrose Xaba, who clocked 15:55.25 and had beaten Semenya comfortably in a regional meet two weeks ago.
Last year, Semenya announced she would pursue Olympics 200m qualification.
But the three-time 800m world champion has changed her mind, believing distance races will lengthen her career.
"I am 30 years old and if I were to do sprints it would be a risk to my muscles. In distance (running), there is more time to find consistency," said the three-time world 800m champion.
(04/15/2021) Views: 1,063 ⚡AMPWith two IAAF Label road races being held on the same day – the LUSO Lisbon Half Marathon (Gold) and the EDP Lisbon Marathon (Silver) – and competitive fields lined up for both, there’s a strong chance of at least one course record being broken in the Portuguese capital on Sunday.
Kenya’s 2016 world half marathon champion and former world record-holder Peres Jepchirchir leads the women’s field for the half marathon. The 26-year-old, who had a baby at the end of 2017, has returned to action this year with a best of 1:07:36, two-and-a-half minutes shy of her lifetime best.
She’ll face defending champion Yebrgual Melese of Ethiopia, who set a course record of 1:07:18 last year.
Others in the field include Kenya’s Vivian Kiplagat, 10km world leader Dorcas Kimeli, Monica Jepkoech, Ethiopia’s Waganesh Amare, South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba and Portuguese duo Jessica Augusto and Catarina Ribeiro.
With a PB of 58:48, Kenya’s Jorum Okombo is the fastest in the men’s half marathon field and has the ability to challenge the course record of 1:00:13, but he heads to Lisbon with a season’s best of 1:02:31 so might not be at his absolute best.
Eritrea’s Amanuel Mesel, who has a best of 1:00:10 and finished seventh at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships, will be keen to improve on his third-place finish from last year. Uganda’s Thomas Ayeko, seventh at this year’s World Cross Country Championships, and Kenya’s Daniel Rotich also have PBs inside 61 minutes and should contend for top honors. Hermano Ferreira, who has a best of 1:01:24, is the leading Portuguese entrant.
The course record of 2:07:34 will be the prime target for the leading men in the marathon field.
Kenya’s Stephen Chemlany, who has a best of 2:06:24, is the fastest in the field, but his PB was set back in 2014 and the 37-year-old hasn’t raced this year. Fellow Kenyan Samuel Wanjiku won in Lisbon in 2014 in 2:08.21, but his PB of 2:07:04 dates back even further to 2012.
Barnabas Kiptum, however, heads to Lisbon off the back of a 2:08:02 lifetime best at the Gold Coast Marathon just three months ago. Likewise, Ethiopia’s Andualem Shiferaw (2:08:16) and Birhanu Teshome (2:08:20) have set PBs earlier this year.
Others in the field with PBs inside 2:09 include Kenya’s former steeplechaser Patrick Terer, Joseph Aperumoi and Richard Mengich.
Fatuma Sado’s lifetime best of 2:24:16 is just three seconds shy of the Lisbon course record. The Ethiopian won in Osaka earlier this year in 2:25:39, the second-fastest performance of her career, and will start as the favorite on Sunday.
Compatriot Sechale Dalasa set her PB of 2:26:27 on her debut at the distance back in 2012 but has come close to it on several occasions since then, including her 2:28:46 run in Houston earlier this year. Kenya’s Truphena Chepchirchir, meanwhile, set her PB of 2:27:52 at this year’s Dongying Marathon.
Others in the field include Ethiopia’s 2008 world U20 5000m champion Sule Utura, Kenya’s Helen Jepkurgat and 2010 Commonwealth 10,000m silver medalist Doris Changeywo.
(10/18/2019) Views: 2,062 ⚡AMPThe EDP Lisbon Marathon is already considered as one of the most beautiful races in the world and acclaimed by international media such as the Forbes Magazine, the Huffington Post and American Express. Starting in Cascais and finishing at Praça do Comércio, the EDP Marathon course is 100% sea and river side, providing to the runners an unique view along...
more...Molotsane has started the year on a positive note, winning all three races run on local soil and finishing best of the SA women at the World Cross Country Championships in Aarhus, Denmark on March 30, in very tough conditions.
Most telling was her win at the SA Cross Country Trials in Pretoria in January where she earned her place on the team to the World Cross Country Championships.
The strength that she has gained in training for the World Cross Country Championships and the experience of racing under very trying conditions at those championships will help her at the fifth Cape Town 12 ONERUN.
Molotsane has rapidly developed into one of SA's best middle distance athletes with dominating performances in 2017 and 2018, and will be one of the big favorites.
Already confirmed is Glenrose Xaba who had some incredible duels with Molotsane last year. The two met on nine occasions in 2018, with Molotsane coming out tops 6-3 in the head-to-head. With both Xaba and Molotsane looking to dominate the SA road running scene, the ONERUN may well be the start of a great rivalry of the year.
"Last year was my first experience of the ONERUN. It was incredible, running against some of the best in the world through the streets of Cape Town and all that support. I have to come back again this year," said Molotsane. "The vibe was incredible."
Only Irvette van Zyl, twins Lebo and Lebogang Phalula have run faster over the 12km route than Molotsane, a statistic the 27-year-old, with a personal best of 32:56, would dearly love to rectify. And it is well within her reach.
(05/08/2019) Views: 2,035 ⚡AMPThis fast flat route takes runners through a working harbour and into a quiet city centre for a scintillating, fast and furious finish; music, enthusiastic support and a later than usual start time for a road race. The FNB Cape Town 10k, the most passionate and welcoming road race on the South African running calendar....
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