De Klerk sets new SA record in women’s Under-20 shot put
De Klerk sets new SA record
JOHANNESBURG, April 8 (ANA) – Mine de Klerk set a new South African record of 17.57m as she claimed victory in the Under-20 women’s shot put at the (Under-16 to Under-20) Athletics SA track and field Championships at Dal Josaphat Athletics Stadium, in Paarl, on Wednesday.
De Klerk shattered the previous SA record of 16.95m which had been held by Simone du Toit for nearly 15 years.
She was in such good form that De Klerk beat former African Youth Games champion Dane Roets by more than two metres, with Roets taking the silver medal (15.35m).
Earlier, race walkers had opened the annual age group championships with Keandra Jooste destroying the field to win gold in the Under-16 girls 5km walk in 25:46.78.
Christoff Crous won the Under-16 boys’ 5km walk in 26:10.70, edging out second-placed Olwethu Masibi by just two seconds.
In other events, Wynand Swanepoel won gold in the Under-20 men’s discus throw with a 55.77m heave, while Migael van Huysteen secured victory in the Under-18 boys’ pole vault (4.71m) and Deacon Cooper took the Under-16 boys’ hammer throw title with a best effort of 44.20m.
Closing out the opening day’s action, Athletics Gauteng North won all three relays on the programme.
The AGN squad won the U20 mixed relay in 3:34.36, as well as the Under-16 girls medley relay (2:16.20) and the Under-16 boys medley relay (2:02.74).
“Congratulations to Mine de Klerk for her outstanding achievement in breaking such a long standing record and winning the gold medal,” said Aleck Skhosana, the president of Athletics South Africa.
“We are particularly happy to see her as champion as we hope this will inspire other young women to take up this highly specialised event.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman