Latest news with #Koekemoer
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Young Koekemoer has a bright future ahead after helping South Africa to gold
Leendert Koekemoer's maturity that helped South Africa win the men's 4x400m gold medal at the World Athletics (WA) Relay Championships in China was replaced by a youthful exuberance when the national relay teams touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on May 14. The 400m sensation and his teammates were welcomed with fanfare after the men's 4×100 m and 4x400m clinched gold medals. The women's 4×400 m got a bronze, as South Africa ended the competition at the top of the medal standings. The 18-year-old will jet off to Tokyo for the WA Championships in September after the teams qualified for the competition. Koekemoer shone in the final with a blistering third leg. Botswana had a slight advantage over South Africa when he received the baton. He found his footing, running the second fastest split of 44.23 to finish strongly to give anchor, Zakithi Nene, the easy job of securing the gold. 'It was fantastic. I did not go to the relays to run a fast time. I just wanted to give the baton to Zakithi first. The time came by itself. I did not realise it until the end,' he said. Sharing his experience as the youngest member in the team, the Dalview resident thanked his seniors for taking him in and showing him the ropes. 'I had a wonderful experience. It was my first time out of the country. All the senior guys helped me. They invited me in. They helped me with this and that. It was a pleasant experience.' Koekemoer first showed glimpses of his potential two years ago when he won the national U18 400m title in 46.38. However, injuries affected his progress last year. He returned strong this year, starting with a blistering 45.96 at the Wildeklawer TUT Top 14 in January, dipping under 46 seconds for the first time. He has since broken the 46-second barrier three more times, including breaking the SA U20 record when he ran 45.03 at the ASA senior track and field championships in Pochefstroom last month, smashing Riaan Dempers' 31-year-old record. Growing up in Brakpan, the Helpmekaar Kollege matriculant never envisaged he would enjoy so much success in the sport he loves this early in his career. 'I always wanted to run, but did not know I could run this well. If not for my parents, coach Lindi du Plessis and training partner Lythe Pillay, I would not be here. I want to keep my head in the game. The 400m is a very mental race. You must know the lactic will come at the end,' Koekemoer. Pillay, a former national 400m champion from Brentwood Park, is a role model for Koekemoer, who described Pillay's significant influence on his career. 'I started training with Lythe when I was in Grade Eight. I have been with him my whole career. I trained every 400m session with him. If not for him pushing me, I would not be here. He is a role model and someone you can look up to.' Also Read: Pillay on course to defend title at nationals Also Read: Pillay wins gold in one-lap dash at U20 World Championships At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Brakpan teen helps power SA to gold at World Athletics Relays
Leendert Koekemoer's maturity, which helped South Africa win the men's 4x400m gold medal at the World Athletics (WA) Relays Guangzhou 25 in China, was replaced by youthful exuberance when the national relay teams touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday. Brakpan Herald reports that the 400m sensation and his teammates were welcomed with fanfare after the men's 4×100m and 4x400m teams clinched gold medals. The women's 4×400m team earned bronze, as South Africa finished at the top of the medal standings. The 18-year-old will jet off to Tokyo for the WA Championships in September after the teams qualified for the competition. 🇿🇦 Welcome Home, Champions! 🇿🇦 South Africa beams with pride as we welcome our incredible athletes back home! #TeamSA #ForMyCountry — Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) May 16, 2025 Koekemoer shone in the final with a blistering third leg. Botswana had a slight advantage over South Africa when he received the baton. He found his footing, running the second-fastest split of 44:23 to finish strongly, giving anchor Zakithi Nene the straightforward job of securing the gold. Watch him whip, watch him Nene 🙌 All the glory went to 🇿🇦 in the men's 4x400m with Zakithi Nene running a blistering 43.64 anchor leg to secure a world-leading 2:57.50 at #WorldRelays 🚀 — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 11, 2025 'It was fantastic. I did not go to the relays to run a fast time. I just wanted to give the baton to Zakithi first. The time came by itself. I did not realise it until the end,' he said. Sharing his experience as the youngest member of the team, the Dalview, Brakpan, resident thanked his seniors for taking him in and showing him the ropes. 'I had a wonderful experience. It was my first time out of the country. All the senior guys helped me. They invited me in. They helped me with this and that. It was a pleasant experience.' South Africa on another level during #WorldRelays 🤯 Men's 4x100m 🥇 Men's 4x400m 🥇 Women's 4×400 🥉 — World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 14, 2025 Koekemoer first showed glimpses of his potential two years ago when he won the national U18 400m title in 46:38. However, injuries affected his progress last year. He returned strongly this year, starting with a blistering 45:96 at the Wildeklawer TUT Top 14 in January, dipping under 46 seconds for the first time. He has since broken the 46-second barrier three more times, including breaking the SA U20 record when he ran 45:03 at the ASA senior track and field championships in Potchefstroom last month, smashing Riaan Dempers' 31-year-old record. Growing up in Brakpan, the Helpmekaar Kollege matriculant never envisaged he would enjoy so much success in the sport he loves this early in his career. 'I always wanted to run, but did not know I could run this well. If not for my parents, coach Lindi du Plessis and training partner Lythe Pillay, I would not be here. I want to keep my head in the game. The 400m is a very mental race. You must know the lactic will come at the end,' Koekemoer said. Pillay, a former national 400m champion from Brentwood Park, is a role model for Koekemoer, who described Pillay's significant influence on his career. 'I started training with Lythe when I was in Grade 8. I have been with him my whole career. I trained every 400m session with him. If not for him pushing me, I would not be here. He is a role model and someone you can look up to.'
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Dalview teen helps power SA to gold at World Athletics relays
Leendert Koekemoer's maturity that helped South Africa win the men's 4x400m gold medal at the World Athletics (WA) Relay Championships in China was replaced by a youthful exuberance when the national relay teams touched down at OR Tambo International Airport on May 14. The 400m sensation and his teammates were welcomed with fanfare after the men's 4×100 m and 4x400m clinched gold medals. The women's 4×400 m got a bronze, as South Africa ended the competition at the top of the medal standings. The 18-year-old will jet off to Tokyo for the WA Championships in September after the teams qualified for the competition. Koekemoer shone in the final with a blistering third leg. Botswana had a slight advantage over South Africa when he received the baton. He found his footing, running the second fastest split of 44.23 to finish strongly to give anchor, Zakithi Nene, the easy job of securing the gold. 'It was fantastic. I did not go to the relays to run a fast time. I just wanted to give the baton to Zakithi first. The time came by itself. I did not realise it until the end,' he said. Sharing his experience as the youngest member in the team, the Dalview resident thanked his seniors for taking him in and showing him the ropes. 'I had a wonderful experience. It was my first time out of the country. All the senior guys helped me. They invited me in. They helped me with this and that. It was a pleasant experience.' Koekemoer first showed glimpses of his potential two years ago when he won the national U18 400m title in 46.38. However, injuries affected his progress last year. He returned strong this year, starting with a blistering 45.96 at the Wildeklawer TUT Top 14 in January, dipping under 46 seconds for the first time. ALSO CHECK: Help fight hunger by supporting Rata food drive He has since broken the 46-second barrier three more times, including breaking the SA U20 record when he ran 45.03 at the ASA senior track and field championships in Pochefstroom last month, smashing Riaan Dempers' 31-year-old record. Growing up in Brakpan, the Helpmekaar Kollege matriculant never envisaged he would enjoy so much success in the sport he loves this early in his career. 'I always wanted to run, but did not know I could run this well. If not for my parents, coach Lindi du Plessis and training partner Lythe Pillay, I would not be here. I want to keep my head in the game. The 400m is a very mental race. You must know the lactic will come at the end,' Koekemoer. Pillay, a former national 400m champion from Brentwood Park, is a role model for Koekemoer, who described Pillay's significant influence on his career. 'I started training with Lythe when I was in Grade Eight. I have been with him my whole career. I trained every 400m session with him. If not for him pushing me, I would not be here. He is a role model and someone you can look up to.' ALSO CHECK: Verdwaalde hond vind na dae in die strate sy pad terug huis toe At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Hezekiel Sepeng credits schools system for SA's emerging sprint talent
Six of the country's medal-winning athletes at World Relays are under the age of 21. Junior sprinter Leendert Koekemoer hands the baton to anchor athlete Zakithi Nene during the men's 4x400m final at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou last week. Picture:/World Athletics With a long list of world-class young sprinters emerging from South Africa, Athletics SA high performance manager Hezekiel Sepeng has credited development at schools level for the seemingly endless promising young speedsters being produced in this country. Of the 14 South African athletes who earned medals at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou last week, having competed in either heats or finals for the nation's three medal-winning squads, six of them are under the age of 21. They include Leendert Koekemoer (who turned 18 on Thursday), Bayanda Walaza (19), Udeme Okon (19), Bradley Nkoana, Precious Molepo and Hannah van Niekerk (all 20). Two of the athletes – Okon and Koekemoer – are still in high school, while Walaza is still competing in the junior age group. 'I was told by a coach in Europe that we are a factory for sprinters and I was asked where we get these athletes,' Sepeng said on Wednesday after the SA team returned home from the World Relays championship. 'Our schools athletics programmes which are being run, and the Track+Field high school series which provides opportunities for athletes in rural areas, are examples of the programmes that feed our system. 'Now we have athletes like Walaza and Koekemoer who are inspiring the young ones, so I think the future looks good for us.' Experienced athletes provide motivation However, while the future looked bright, Sepeng said it was a process, and he felt it was equally important to have experienced athletes performing well at international level for younger athletes to look up to. The likes of Walaza, who ran the first leg of the men's 4x100m relay in Guangzhou, and Koekemoer, who ran a spectacular third leg of the men's 4x400m final to give the national team the lead, were particularly impressive at the global showpiece. However, experienced campaigners Akani Simbine and Zakithi Nene ran phenomenal anchor legs to lead the SA squads to gold medals in both events, and if it wasn't for them, South Africa might not have achieved as much as they did. Zeney Geldenhuys and Miranda Coetzee also played key roles in carrying the women's 4x400m team to the bronze medal. 'We wouldn't survive without the experienced athletes,' said Sepeng, a former Olympic 800m medallist. 'The likes of Akani (Simbine), Zakithi (Nene), Zeney (Geldenhuys) and Miranda (Coetzee) are the athletes we are depending on when it comes to experience and motivating the younger ones.'
Daily Maverick
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
South Africa's world-conquering relay stars hope to build on exploits before World Championships
The South African athletes who formed part of the medal-winning teams at the World Athletics Relays in China say the country's sprinting is in an extremely healthy space. Following a successful and medal-winning expedition at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, Team South Africa's relay stars landed to much fanfare at Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport on Wednesday, 14 May 2025. The prevailing sentiment? Optimism. Athletics South Africa (ASA) sent a team boasting youthful exuberance, which was balanced by experience, to China. On one end of the spectrum was veteran Akani Simbine (31), while on the other was the youngest member of the team — Leendert Koekemoer (18). 'They can do this' Running alongside global starlet Bayanda Walaza, as well as Sinesipho Dambile and Bradley Nkoana — Simbine anchored South Africa's charge to a memorable men's 4x100m relay gold medal in Guangzhou. To underline his longevity, Simbine recently made history when he became the first athlete in history to run under 10 seconds for 11 successive seasons in the men's 100m category. The record was previously held by sprint deity Usain Bolt, before Simbine overtook it in April. Simbine — who was not part of the party that landed in Johannesburg on 14 May — expressed his pride and excitement in terms of what the future holds for South African sprinting. Especially because other exciting runners, such as Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson, were not part of the winning effort in China. 'They're showing that they can do this and that they can handle pressure up here at the elite level. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the growth. I'm looking forward to seeing them take over the world and show that South Africa is a sprinting nation as well,' Simbine told FloTrack in Guangzhou. Exciting future Koekemoer, on the other hand, is just starting his senior career. The Helpmekaar College matriculant played a pivotal part as his spirited run in the penultimate leg of the relay helped South Africa strike gold ahead of Belgium and Botswana respectively in the 4x400m final. Gardeo Isaacs and Udeme Okon had laid a great foundation, before Koekemoer took the baton and handed it to team captain Zakithi Nene for the final leg and overall victory in a national record time of 2:57.50. 'The experience was very good; it was my first time out of the country. All the senior guys helped me and made jokes with me. They invited me in and didn't look at me like I'm a little kid… It was a great experience,' Koekemoer said of his time in China. Perfect blend Although she did not run in the 4x400m women's final, team member Jada van Staden expressed her delight with how her teammates had clinched bronze — crossing over in a national record time of 3:24.84 behind Spain and the US. Van Staden said the 4x400m team — comprising captain Zeney Geldenhuys, plus Olympian Miranda Coetzee, Shirley Nekhubui and Precious Molepo — had done exceptionally to not be overawed by the occasion. 'The fact that we had our own big names in the team motivated us. My teammates are big names themselves, they've achieved so much. That's also what was so lovely about our team, the mix between three of us being youngsters, while the other three others were the elders of the team,' Van Staden said. Indeed, for all its issues, ASA seems to have perfected the recipe for blending youth and experience. Whereas in previous years there seemed to be a disjuncture between the upcoming athletes and their seniors, there appears to be a palpable synergy between this group of sprinters. This can only benefit the country positively before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. But first up are the World Championships in Japan, which take place from 13 to 21 September. Junior world champion Walaza says that South Africa is perfectly positioned to once again bag some medals at the event. 'These relay medals show the whole world that South Africa is strong and they must not take us lightly. I believe that after these gold medals, it's brought the spirit of wanting to bring even more medals individually. We can see that as a country we are as strong as other countries,' Walaza said. DM
