Latest news with #HannahvanNiekerk
The Citizen
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
SA sprinters on fire as all four teams qualify for finals at World Relays
The SA women's 4x400m quartet set a national record of 3:28.01 to win their first-round race. Zeney Geldenhuys in action for South Africa on day one of the World Athletics Relays in Guanzhou. Picture:The record-breaking national women's 4x400m team and the men's 4x100m quartet led the charge on Saturday, as all four South African squads progressed to their respective finals on day one the World Athletics Relays championship in Guangzhou. Though they were fortunate to be drawn in what was the slowest of three heats, the SA women's 4x400m team – Shirley Nekhubui, Hannah van Niekerk, Precious Molepo and Zeney Geldenhuys – did well to win their first-round race in 3:28.01. Despite the wet conditions, they broke the national record of 3:28.30 which was set by Nekhubui, Geldenhuys, Hannah van Niekerk and Precious Molepo in Pretoria in March, booking their spot in the final to be held on Sunday. Meanwhile, featuring three of the four athletes who earned silver in the 4x100m event at the Olympic Games in Paris last year, the SA men's 4x100m quartet – Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine – won their first-round heat in 37.84 seconds. They progressed as the fastest qualifiers (along with Japan, who clocked the same time) for the final. Other results By reaching the finals, the national women's 4x400m and men's 4x100m teams qualified for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in September, as did the SA men's and mixed 4x400m teams who will also turn out in the medal contests on the second and final day of the World Relays on Sunday. In the men's 4x400m heats, Mthi Mthimkulu, Udeme Okon, Lythe Pillay and Udeme Okon combined well to win their race in 3:00.00. In the opening round of the mixed 4x400m event, Nekhubui, Geldenhuys, Tumisang Shezi and Leendert Koekemoer took second place in their heat in 3:13.79.
The Citizen
22-04-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Van Niekerk loves the challenge of being faster each time she races
Van Niekerk loves the challenge of being faster each time she races The one thing Hannah van Niekerk really enjoys is challenging herself against the stopwatch on the athletics track and she is one of the young stars to watch at this week's ASA senior championships in Potchefstroom. A quick glance at the Tuks education student's results on the World Athletics website will prove her class. This season, she has set personal best times over 200 metres (24.36s) and 400 metres (52.72s). There is a real chance that she will do so also in the 400m hurdles before the end of the local season. Being fast equates to winning medals. Van Niekerk has been the u.23 SA 400 m hurdles champion for the last two years and the South African student champion in 2024. Last year, her highlight was winning a bronze medal in the hurdles at the Junior World Championship in Peru. Her time of 56.98 seconds is a personal best. This performance led to her being named South Africa's junior athlete for 2024. 'The 400m hurdles are not just about pure speed. Technique plays a big role. For me, nothing is more enjoyable than pushing myself to the limit in the hurdles,' Van Niekerk explained during her preparation for the national championship. What are the do's and don'ts of running a good 400m hurdles race? 'My focus is always to be fast out of the starting blocks. My coach always says you shouldn't 'walk' from the starting blocks. It is also important to attack every hurdle. The biggest mistake you can make is to trot between the hurdles. Over the last 100 metres, you should not listen to your brain when it tells you that you cannot go any further. That is when you must force yourself to endure the pain. All that matters to me over those last few metres is to be the best I can be,' she summed up her race approach. When asked about the bronze medal she won at the World Junior Championships, Van Niekerk admitted she was a little nervous beforehand. 'It was my first time representing South Africa at such a big event. But when I walked out to compete in the heats, I calmed down. It just felt so cool. After the heat, I couldn't wait to run again. The finals were my chance to show the world what I could do,' she remarked. Van Niekerk's goal is to win a medal in the 400m hurdles in Potchefstroom and she believes it is possible. 'At the moment, only three or four of us have run faster than 57 seconds in the 400m hurdles for a while. Last year's senior championships didn't turn out how I had hoped. I was fifth. The positive thing I can take from that is that I must work much harder to be truly competitive in the 400m hurdles,' she concluded. The Tuks student is also set on winning a medal at the World Student Games in Germany later this year. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
