Glenrose Xaba became the first South African to win the SPAR Women’s Challenge Grand Prix title since 2019, with an emphatic win in the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park.
Three-times SPAR Grand Prix winner, Tadu Nare was edged into third on the log by her fellow Ethiopian Diniya Abaraya.
Each athlete’s top four performances were used to determine this year’s winner, and Xaba finished with 120 points, with four wins with maximum bonus points for each.
Abaraya finished with 112 points, one ahead of Nar. The latter missed the Cape Town race, but won in Durban, finished third in Pretoria, and second in Gqeberha and Johannesburg. Abaraya missed the Tshwane race, but was fifth in Durban, second in Cape Town and Gqeberha and third in Johannesburg.
Cacisile Sosibo finished in fourth, with 72 points. The Phalula twins, Diana-Lebo Phalula-Mzazi and Lebogang Phalula-Luthuli, dominated the 40-49 category, with Phalula-Mzazi achieving a perfect score of four wins, while Phalula-Luthuli had one win and four seconds for a total of 37 points. Phalula-Mzazi was seventh in the open category and her sister was ninth.
In the category for runners between 50 and 59, Anne Stewart had three wins and a second, while Judy Bird aced the 60-69 category by winning every race.
Words and photo courtesy: Athletics South Africa