Benji Richardson finishes fifth as his search for 2024 form continues
Benjamin Richardson's search to rediscover his form of last season continues after another disappointing performance on the European circuit on Tuesday evening.
Richardson faded dramatically in the men's 100m final at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku Finland, sliding backwards from front place to fifth as he clocked 10.18.
His placing was one of three fifth places for South Africans on the night, with Tshepo Tshite and Charne Swart-Du Plessis finishing the same in their 1,500m and 800m contests.
Richardson, who missed the 100m final at the Olympics by two-hundredths of a second, had a break-through season in 2024, before getting injured in Paris days before his 4x100m teammates bagged an historic Olympic silver.
But he still has work to do to win his place back in the relay.
Richardson executed a good start and drove out impressively, taking the lead early on and holding it beyond the halfway mark.
But when he needed to shift into top gear he looked as if he was reversing as four of his rivals overhauled him with ease.
Romell Glave of Britain won in 10.08 with Canadian Jerome Blake second in 10.09.
Richardson had the satisfaction of beating Canadian Olympic star Andre de Grasse, who was sixth in 10.23, and Marcell Jacobs of Italy, the 100m champion at Tokyo 2020, was finished last in 10.44.
Tshite had to settle for fifth in the men's 1,500m, unable to keep up with the attack over the final 300 metres.
Tshite crossed the line in 3min 35.22sec, nearly two seconds behind Ethiopian winner Ermiyas Girma in 3:33.49.
Medical student Swart-Du Plessis found herself running in the second lane in the early stages of her race, and again tried to attack going around her rivals, but she was unable to outsprint them as she finished in 2:00.26, less than a second behind Swiss victor Audrey Werro.
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TimesLIVE
6 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Benji Richardson finishes fifth as his search for 2024 form continues
Benjamin Richardson's search to rediscover his form of last season continues after another disappointing performance on the European circuit on Tuesday evening. Richardson faded dramatically in the men's 100m final at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku Finland, sliding backwards from front place to fifth as he clocked 10.18. His placing was one of three fifth places for South Africans on the night, with Tshepo Tshite and Charne Swart-Du Plessis finishing the same in their 1,500m and 800m contests. Richardson, who missed the 100m final at the Olympics by two-hundredths of a second, had a break-through season in 2024, before getting injured in Paris days before his 4x100m teammates bagged an historic Olympic silver. But he still has work to do to win his place back in the relay. Richardson executed a good start and drove out impressively, taking the lead early on and holding it beyond the halfway mark. But when he needed to shift into top gear he looked as if he was reversing as four of his rivals overhauled him with ease. Romell Glave of Britain won in 10.08 with Canadian Jerome Blake second in 10.09. Richardson had the satisfaction of beating Canadian Olympic star Andre de Grasse, who was sixth in 10.23, and Marcell Jacobs of Italy, the 100m champion at Tokyo 2020, was finished last in 10.44. Tshite had to settle for fifth in the men's 1,500m, unable to keep up with the attack over the final 300 metres. Tshite crossed the line in 3min 35.22sec, nearly two seconds behind Ethiopian winner Ermiyas Girma in 3:33.49. Medical student Swart-Du Plessis found herself running in the second lane in the early stages of her race, and again tried to attack going around her rivals, but she was unable to outsprint them as she finished in 2:00.26, less than a second behind Swiss victor Audrey Werro.
The South African
10 hours ago
- The South African
Club World Cup prize pot: Why Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates should be green with envy
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The South African
11 hours ago
- The South African
Here is the Springboks' Test record against Italy
World champions South Africa will host Italy in a two-Test series next month in Pretoria and Gqeberha. The Springboks will take on the Azzurri at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, 5 July and in Gqeberha at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium a week later. South Africa will also host second-tier nation Georgia on Saturday, 19 July at the Mbombela Stadium in Mbombela. All three matches will kick off at 17:10 (SA time). When South Africans connect, we don't just network; we build a community. The Lekker Network is a professional network where every conversation starts with, 'How can I help you?' Come join us & be a part of a community of extraordinary Saffas. At the time of publishing, the Springboks sit at No 1 in the World Rugby rankings, with Italy in 11th and Georgia in 12th. South Africa have beaten Italy 15 times and lost once since first meeting in Rome in 1995, the year the Springboks won the first of a record four Rugby World Cup titles. The last Test between the countries was two and a half years ago in Genoa, where the visitors triumphed 63-21. Date Result Venue 12 November 1995 Won 40-21 Olympic Stadium, Rome 8 November 1997 Won 62-31 Dall'Ara Stadium, Bologna 12 June 1999 Won 74-3 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth 19 June 1999 Won 101-0 Kings Park, Durban 30 June 2001 Won 60-14 Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth 17 November 2001 Won 54-26 Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa 21 June 2008 Won 26-0 Newlands, Cape Town 21 November 2009 Won 32-10 Stadio Friuli, Udine 19 June 2010 Won 29-13 Puma Stadium, Witbank 26 June 2010 Won 55-11 Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London 8 June 2013 Won 44-10 Kings Park, Durban 22 November 2014 Won 22-6 Stadio Euganeo, Padua 19 November 2016 Lost 20-18 Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence 25 November 2017 Won 35-6 Stadio Euganeo, Padua 4 October 2019 Won 49-3 Shizuoka Stadium, Fukuroi 19 November 2022 Won 63-21 Luigi Ferraris Stadium, Genoa Meanwhile, South Africa have won both their previous encounters against Georgia. The first came at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, while the their only previous visit to South Africa resulted in defeat in Pretoria in 2021. 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.
