South African 1 500m record falls
South Africa's Tshepo Tshite delivered a stunning performance at the Diamond League meeting in Paris on Friday night, breaking the long-standing national 1 500m record in a blistering race that featured some of the world's fastest middle-distance athletes.
Tshite, 28, crossed the line in 3:31.35, shaving more than half a second off the previous South African record of 3:31.93 set by Johan Cronje in 2013.
It was Tshite's first national outdoor record, adding to his existing South African indoors records in both the 1 500m (3:35.06) and the mile (3:54.10). Fastest in recent history
While Tshepo Tshite finished ninth in a stacked field, the race was one of the fastest in recent history.
France's Azeddine Habz took the win in 3:27.49, setting the fastest time in the world this year and dragging five other runners under the 3:30 barrier.
Athletics South Africa (ASA) president James Moloi praised Tshite's achievement while also calling for broader performance improvement across the national team ahead of major competitions, including the upcoming World Championships in Japan this September.
'As we congratulate Tshite for achieving his feat of breaking a record, we also take the opportunity to encourage all athletes to drastically improve their performances in order to reach podium positions,' said Moloi.
'We don't take anything away from him – for a national record is always an achievement to be celebrated.
'It becomes a new benchmark for others.
'We therefore congratulate Tshite, his coach, and all of his support staff.'
Meanwhile, in the men's 5 000m event, fellow South African Adriaan Wildschutt finished 14th in 13:28.67, well behind Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, who stormed to victory in a world-class 12:47.84.
The next leg of the Diamond League series will take place in Eugene, Oregon in the United States on Saturday, 5 July.
NOTE: All South African records are subject to official ratification.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
an hour ago
- The South African
Gayton McKenzie in embarrassing water polo gaffe
While it's true that South Africa are in the midst of a 'golden' period – especially on the sporting field – Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie may just have gotten a little too carried away with his patriotism. It appears that, embarrassingly, McKenzie did not pay careful enough attention to one of his 'own' sporting federation's teams competing in Europe. McKenzie took to social media on Saturday to post: 'We are the best sporting nation in the world ' in reaction to an image of the South African U20 water polo side finishing 19th – and second LAST – at the U20 World Championships in Croatia. Awkward! Clearly Gayton McKenzie had not done his homework and assumed, one can only imagine, that the side had in fact won the tournament when it clearly states '19th/20th final'. Even more embarrassing for the Minister of Sport was the fact that the team had to finance their own way to the tournament. The team included schoolboys as young as 16. The gaffe quickly did the rounds on WhatsApp groups on Saturday, to the amusement of many. In their initial group matches, the South African side suffered heavy defeats against Brazil (25-6) and Germany (30-1). In what was then termed the classification round, the South African side then went down 7-6 to Kazakhstan, 21-8 to Colombia and 21-10 to Canada. That put them in the playoff for 19th-20th place against New Zealand – a match they won 16-15 following a penalty shootout. In total, the South African U20 side played six matches, lost five, won one, scored 47 goals and conceded a whopping 119 for an average defeat of 20-8. None of the South African team's matches were against any of the eight best sides in the world who were drawn in Division 1. Quite why Gayton McKenzie was celebrating those performances so enthusiastically, is somewhat puzzling. Even more baffling was the thousands of 'likes' and messages of congratulations that the post received! While South Africa does currently boast the world champion Springboks and Proteas, the world's strongest man and woman, and several of the fastest athletes in the world – among other impressive feats – it does not have – and will never lay claim to having – a water polo side that will ever win an international tournament. You'd think even the most optimistic Minister of Sport would know that … Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Tshepo Tshite breaks 12-year-old SA 1,500m record in Paris
Tshepo Tshite has smashed the 12-year-old South African 1,500m record. The diminutive Olympian clocked 3 min 31.35 sec as he ended ninth at the Diamond League meet in Paris on Friday night, more than half-a-second quicker than Johan Cronje's effort from September 2013. The 28-year-old, who already holds the indoor 1,500m and mile records, was nearly four seconds behind winner Azeddine Habz of France, who pulled five other athletes below 3:30.00.
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs close to signing three in-demand free agents!
Kaizer Chiefs have the opportunity to pick up some serious muscle – for free. However, that doesn't mean they will. Asanele Velebayi and former Mamelodi Sundowns player Sipho Mbule, both out of contract, have been offered to AmaKhosi by their respective agents, but the club has yet to make a decision, showcasing their hesitation. Either player would presumably be a great addition for Kaizer Chiefs, but perhaps they have other players in mind and could see these two players as insurance if they fall short of other targets. AmaZulu FC star Rowan Human is another free agent who has been offered to the Glamour Boys. The 24-year-old recently decided not to extend his contract with uSuthu, making him available from July 1. 'AmaZulu FC midfielder Rowan Human has been offered to Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs by his representatives as he is set to leave the club on a free transfer. Human will leave Usuthu at the end of June after his contract expires after the 24-year-old failed to reach an agreement with the club on a new contract,' a source revealed. 'Human has been offered to both Soweto giants by his representatives and it could only be a matter of time before he gets snapped up as he will be a free agent and rediscovered his old form.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
