Grand Prix 10km series witnesses emergence of new talent

Grand Prix 10km series witnesses new talent emerge

JOHANNESBURG, November 10 (ANA) – The Spar Women’s Grand Prix 10km series provided a much-needed boost for the top runners in South Africa this year, with a number of new talents unearthed in the process.

The six races, which formed the Grand Prix series, were restricted to a maximum of 250 runners and adhered strictly to the Covid-19 protocols, and they proved to be a great success.

The star turn was the young Ethiopian runner, Tadu Nare, who was runner-up in the Grand Prix series in 2019.

Nare (Nedbank) swept to victory in all six races, finishing with a total of 150 points.  She capped that achievement by winning the Barcelona Marathon on Sunday in 2:25:53 – a new course record. She had made it clear throughout her Grand Prix campaign that the Barcelona Marathon was her ain goal for the year. Her victory in her debut marathon signals the emergence of a new world star.

Nare received R190 000 for winning the Grand Prix, to add to the R150 000 prize money for the six races she won.

She said she hoped to return to South Africa to defend her title in 2022.

“I love South Africa, it is like a second home to me,” Nare said.

“I am very grateful to Spar for putting on the races and giving us an opportunity to compete.”

Former titleholder Kesa Molotsane (Murray & Roberts) was the runner-up and took home R90 000. Molotsane was proof of the importance of consistency in the Grand Prix and of taking part in as many races as possible.  She finished second in Cape Town and Johannesburg, fourth in Pietermaritzburg and Gqeberha, fifth in Tshwane and 10th in Durban, for a total of 129 points.

There was a battle royal for the next three places, with three runners finishing within a point of one another.

Two runners – Fortunate Chidzivo (Retail Capital) and Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) finished in joint third position, with 117 points each.  Like Molotsane, Chidzivo’s success was the result of consistency and taking part in all six races. She finished fifth, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth and 11th. Xaba, on the other hand, finished second three times (Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Tshwane), third in Gqeberha and fourth in Johannesburg. However, she missed the Cape Town race and was never able to make up the missing points. Xaba and Chidzivo shared the prize money for third and fourth place and received R47 500 each.

The Grand Prix series also saw the emergence of two rising stars – Cian Oldknow (Murray & Roberts) and teammate Tayla Kavanagh. Oldknow finished fifth on the Grand Prix standings, winning R35 000.

Kavanagh, who surprised many by finishing third in Pietermaritzburg in her first race as a senior, came fourth in Durban and second in Gqeberha, to finish 12th  overall. She went on to win the ASA national 10km Championship in Durban on November 1 in a personal best of 32.51 minutes. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman