By Reggie Hufkie
Home boy Elwich van Wyk of Athletics South Western District (ASWD) won the boys’ Under-20 race at the ASA 50km and Interprovincial Race Walk Championship in Pacaltsdorp, George at the weekend.
Working his way through the field, the Nedbank AC junior athlete outclassed his compatriots to finish on top of the podium.
Three years ago Van Wyk cruised to a 23min 59:40sec 5000-metre walk victory to win the SA Sub-Youth (U15) title in fine style in Coetzenburg, Stellenbosch. The following year, in the youth boys’ 10000m walk, at national championships in Bloemfontein, he walked 52:04.14 to finish second.
In the same year, at the SA Race Walking championships in Cape Town, he bagged bronze. Since then he has finished ninth and third at the respective national championships, so to end up taking the top podium position on Saturday must be consolation for the Van Kervel High School athlete.
Starting like a house on fire, the early leaders went through the first 2km in nine minutes. But that pace proved to be too fast, so the tempo quickly dropped and the remainder of the race became a tactical battle.
A group of four stuck together for the remainder of the race, but that quartet soon became two and when the bell sounded for the final lap, it was the talented Van Wyk who put in a surge that none of his competitors could respond to.
‘The win came as a surprise, but I died in training’ said the soft-spoken champion. Looking ahead, he has his eyes set on the international race walk scene. ‘Winning in my hometown has encouraged me to achieve more, and I’m going to train extremely hard to one day represent South Africa.’
Natalie le Roux (AKZN) and Cecily Rootenberg (CGA, pictured above), meanwhile, made history when they set new world and national records in the women’s 50km and 20km races respectively.
Le Roux, a former elite race walker, tackled the IAAF’s newly added women’s 50km and stopped the clock in 4:54:33, obliterating the previous record of 5:17:55 set by Sandra Steenkamp by more than 23 minutes.
Rootenberg, on the other hand, made her mark when she became the first 90-95 age group race walker to finish an official 20km race. Her finish time of 3:53:41 will have to get the thumbs up from the World Masters Athletics organisation before it can be recognised, but either way, it’s a world class achievement.
The men’s 50km title was won by Mthunzi Mnisi (for the third consecutive year), the men’s 20km title went to Sizwe Ndebele while Zelda Schultz won the women’s 20km unhindered in 1:51:38.
Picture of Rootenberg in George action courtesy of Roger Sedres/ImageSA