New track at Tuks a boost for sprinters
by David Isaacson
2016-05-17 05:00:00.0
SPRINT star Akani Simbine stepped on to the newly laid multimillion-rand Mondo track at the Tuks stadium and declared he was over the hamstring injury that laid him low a month ago.
Akani, who went 9.96 seconds early in the season to break the South African 100m record he had shared with Henricho Bruintjies, suffered a strain to his left hamstring at the national championships in the middle of last month. "The injury is sorted," he said at the unveiling of the new athletics track in Pretoria. "I’m back to running, I’m back to full training. I’m positive right now."
The Mondo track, similar to that set to be used at the Rio Olympics in August, had been laid at a cost of about R10m, said Tuks athletics club manager Danie Cornelius. A meet is being planned for June 11 to give it its first test run.
"This is the first of its kind in the country," he said, adding that there was an earlier generation Mondo track in Rustenburg. Cornelius said he had already been approached by Athletics SA about using the track to prepare the men’s 4x100m relay team for the Olympics.
Athletics SA has yet to co-ordinate an effort to qualify that team for Rio.
Among the advantages of the Mondo, as opposed to the previous Fintrex track — which was similar to Tartan — is that it is waterproof and cannot suffer water damage.
The Tuks track is guaranteed for eight years, and has an expected lifetime of 12 years.
Mondo has a bouncy feel compared to other tracks and 400m hurdler LJ van Zyl said at last year’s world championships in Beijing that he had to adapt his stride pattern.
Simbine will compete again at the Diamond League meet in Rome on June 2, but he is not making predictions just yet. "I was supposed to be out for two weeks, but we made it three to almost four weeks ," he said. "For my first race I don’t have any expectations ."
Other Tuks athletes at the unveiling yesterday were sprinter Carina Horn and hurdlers Wenda Nel and Lindsay Hanekom.
Horn and Nel return to action in the next Diamond League meet in Rabat at the weekend.
Hanekom, the sports science student who achieved his first Olympic qualifying time in Bloemfontein earlier this month, will get his first taste of top international action at the World Challenge meet in Dakar on May 25.
He is looking to improve on his new 49.03sec personal best.
"It’s in our preparation to go sub-49. I’m hoping to reach final at the Games," he said.
Akani Simbine. Picture: LUKE WALKER/GALLO IMAGES
SPRINT star Akani Simbine stepped on to the newly laid multimillion-rand Mondo track at the Tuks stadium and declared he was over the hamstring injury that laid him low a month ago.
Akani, who went 9.96 seconds early in the season to break the South African 100m record he had shared with Henricho Bruintjies, suffered a strain to his left hamstring at the national championships in the middle of last month. "The injury is sorted," he said at the unveiling of the new athletics track in Pretoria. "I’m back to running, I’m back to full training. I’m positive right now."
The Mondo track, similar to that set to be used at the Rio Olympics in August, had been laid at a cost of about R10m, said Tuks athletics club manager Danie Cornelius. A meet is being planned for June 11 to give it its first test run.
"This is the first of its kind in the country," he said, adding that there was an earlier generation Mondo track in Rustenburg. Cornelius said he had already been approached by Athletics SA about using the track to prepare the men’s 4x100m relay team for the Olympics.
Athletics SA has yet to co-ordinate an effort to qualify that team for Rio.
Among the advantages of the Mondo, as opposed to the previous Fintrex track — which was similar to Tartan — is that it is waterproof and cannot suffer water damage.
The Tuks track is guaranteed for eight years, and has an expected lifetime of 12 years.
Mondo has a bouncy feel compared to other tracks and 400m hurdler LJ van Zyl said at last year’s world championships in Beijing that he had to adapt his stride pattern.
Simbine will compete again at the Diamond League meet in Rome on June 2, but he is not making predictions just yet. "I was supposed to be out for two weeks, but we made it three to almost four weeks ," he said. "For my first race I don’t have any expectations ."
Other Tuks athletes at the unveiling yesterday were sprinter Carina Horn and hurdlers Wenda Nel and Lindsay Hanekom.
Horn and Nel return to action in the next Diamond League meet in Rabat at the weekend.
Hanekom, the sports science student who achieved his first Olympic qualifying time in Bloemfontein earlier this month, will get his first taste of top international action at the World Challenge meet in Dakar on May 25.
He is looking to improve on his new 49.03sec personal best.
"It’s in our preparation to go sub-49. I’m hoping to reach final at the Games," he said.
