Okkert Brits (left) and his coach Jopie Loots (© Mark Ouma)
Commonwealth Games Pole Vault champion Okkert Brits made a triumphant 5.80m homecoming at the third ABSA track and field series meeting at the Free State Athletics Stadium in Bloemfontein on Friday night (7 February).
Brits sat out as other competitors struggled to stay in the contest. Once his last opponents Laurens Loojie (Holland) cleared 5.30, Brits informed officials he would start vaulting at a height of 5.60 metres. He proceeded to clear that height on his second attempt, 5.70m on his third, and 5.80m on his second attempt, before calling it a day. Loojie (5.30m) was runner up, ahead of Fanie Jacobs (5.20).
“I was very nervous tonight. I came three days ago to make sure everything went very well. I started competing late because of the strong head wind. This is my first competition in my hometown in 11 years. People had high expectation and I really did not want to let them down,” said Brits.
After completing his studies at HTS Technical School in 1992, Brits moved to the Stellenbosch some 1000 kilometres away near Cape Town. Built around a university, Stellenbosch is also located at the centre of the country’s wine industry.
“After the Stellenbosch meeting next Friday, we will have a few competitions in Europe in the run up to the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. Since the bronze medal at the 1994 Indoors with 5.75m, I have not achieved much. This time I want to bring back a gold medal from Birmingham,” Brits disclosed.
Opening his season in his hometown, Commonwealth Games Discus champion Frantz Kruger comfortably won with a 60.60m effort. Johannes van Wyk (58.52) was runner up, while Stephan Joubert 48.60 was third.
The women’s World High Jump champion Hestrie Cloete continued her steady progress this season with an impressive clearance of 1.95m. Kazakhistan’s Svetlana Zalevskaya (1.85) was second, with Marisca Gertenbach 1.80 finishing third.
Russia’s Valentina Ivanova (55.25) carried the day in the women’s Discus. Elizna Naude (52.87) placed second. India was represented in this ABSA series for the very first time, with Neelan Singh throwing 49.10m for third.
A strong head wind adversely affected the performances in most track events. However, there where some impressive results. One event unaffected by the wind was the men’s 110m Hurdles where the Commonwealth Games champion Shaun Bownes clocked a winning time of 13.56. Frikkie van Zyl (13.89), and Martin de Bruto (14.04), were second and third respectively.
“I look forward to improving my African Indoor 60 metres Hurdles record (7.57) and the Outdoor 110m hurdles record (13.26). I hope to achieve this is the coming months,” Bownes declared.
In the women’s 400m, Estie Witstocks (51.94) and runner up Surrita Febbraio (52.20) set career bests. Witstocks previous best was 52.96, while Febrraio’s was 52.40.
Perhaps the most delighted female athletes, where the top two 100 metres runners Janice Josephs (11.38) and Geraldine Pillay (11.48). The relatively little-known pair, improved their career bests from 11.46 and 11.55 respectively.
Ockert Cilliers (49.92) prevailed in the 400m Hurdles. Louis Van Zyl (50.60) was second with Marus Kritzinger (50.93) third.
Mark Ouma for the IAAF
SELECTED RESULTS
Note
SR denotes series record
NR denotes national record
AR denotes Africa record
PB denotes personals best
All Athletes are South Africa unless otherwise mentioned.
MEN
100m (0.0)
1 Sherwin Vries 10.32
2 Mathew Quinn 10.49
3 Francois Coertze 10.56
200m (-3.8)
1 Marcus la Grange 21.07
2 Mathew Quinn 21.23
3 Francois Coertze 21.36
400m
1 Jopie van Oudtshoorn 46.94
2 Innis Viviers 47.00
3 Shane Morrison 47.71
110m Hurdles (0.0)
1 Shaun Bownes 13.56
2 Frikkie van Zyl 13.89
3 Martin de Bruto 14.04
400m Hurdles
1 Ockert Cilliers 49.92
2 Louis Van Zyl 50.60
3 Marus Kritzinger 50.93
800m
1 Isaiah Nkuna 1:49.75
2 Shaun Abrahams 1:51.69
3 Hennie Lamprecht 1:53.79
1500m
1 Norman Dlomo 8:15.86
2 Khotso Tau (Lesotho) 8:16.24
3 Frank Lekwi 8:16.61
Triple Jump
1 Khotso Mokoena 15.20 (-4.8)
2 Mpumelelo Ginindza (Swaziland) 14.43 (-1.5)
3 Kobus Vosloo 14.32 (-2.7)
Pole Vault
1 Okkert Brits 5.80m
2 Laurens Looije (Hollands) 5.30m
3 Fanie Jacob 5.20m
Discus
1 Frantz Kruger 60.60
2 Johannes van Wyk 58.52
3 Stephan Joubert 48.60
WOMEN
100m (+0.3)
1 Janice Josephs 11.38 PB
2 Geraldine Pillay 11.48 PB
3 Wendy Seegers 11.62
200m (-5.9)
1 Heide Seyerling-Quinn 23.84
2 Janice Josephs 23.93
3 Geraldine Pillay 24.20
400m
1 Estie Wittstock 51.94 PB
2 Surrita Febbraio 52.20 PB
3 Melody van der Merwe 54.62
400m Hurdles
1 Chantelle Terblanche 1:00.23
2 Juanee Pekelharing 1:02.44
3 Carla Coetzee 1:02.45
High Jump
1 Hestrie Cloete 1.95
2 Svetlana Zalevskaya (Kazakhistan) 1.85
3 Marisca Gertenbach 1.80
Javelin
1 Sunette Viljoen 54.18m
2 Maryke le Roux 47.38m
3 Gretha Palmer 45.38m
Discus
1 Valentina Ivanova (Russia) 55.25
2 Elizna Naude 52.87
3 Neelan Singh (India) 49.10
