geminisquest: Gold for SA's paralympics!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Gold for SA's paralympics!

Monday 08/09/2008

Natalie du Toit of South Africa won the gold medal in the S9 final of Women's 100m Butterfly. (Photo credit: Xinhua )

Watch the video!

Maxwell out runs Mlambo for Spar victory

Marathoner Tanith Maxwell out ran Poppy Mlambo over the final two kilometres to win Sunday's Spar 10km in Pietermaritzburg ahead of over 2000 ladies.

The two Mr Price athletes, who represented South Africa in the World Championships in Osaka, pulled ahead of the competition to go through the first two kilometres in seven minutes 25 seconds.

Nomsa Ntshethe held third about 30 metres adrift with the remainder of the field being stretched by the challenging course around the Alexander Park area.

Maxwell was driving the pace up Alexander Road through half way, but on the final climb up Princess Margaret Avenue it was Mlambo who had the edge through eight kilometres in 29 minutes ten seconds.

Outside Harry Gwala Stadium Maxwell made her move opening over 150 metres in less than a kilometre and taking the tape and the R3 000 first prize in 36 minutes three seconds.

The diminutive Mlambo was 36 seconds adrift with Ntshethe remaining in third for the whole race.

"It wasn't about time (today). I have run this race a few times and wanted to compare my fitness against previous runs (on the course)," said Maxwell who leaves for Europe next week where she competes in the Flora Warsaw Marathon at the end of the month.

"It was great having Poppy here; it helped to keep a good pace on the hills."

"After (JHB) I want to go back to marathon and half marathons," continued the 27-year-old who did 35:20 for 16th position in last weeks SA 10 Km championships in Stellenbosch.

RESULTS

1 Tanith Maxwell MrP 36:03
2 Poppy Mlambo MrP 36:39
3 Nomsa Ntshethe MrP 39:01
4 Thobile Ngwane MrP 40:24
5 Sarah Scott CH 43:00
6 Lungile Mngoma Msinigi 43:04
7 Debbie Eaton CH 43:38
8 Maria Mthembu Boxer 43:40
9 Nondikelelo Mbambo 43:57

Double gold for Team SA!

Charl Bouwer added a second for Team SA in the 400m freestyle (class S13) in a new world record time of 4:14.02. The previous world record stood at 4:16.20.

In the final race of the day, Du Toit added to her medal haul with a second gold, this time in the 100m freestyle (class S9).

Watch Charl Bouwer's 400m freestyle S13 gold video!

Watch Natalie Du Toit's 100m freestyle S9 gold video!

Equestrian gold for SA's Johnson

Fourteen Grade IV riders displayed their Dressage skills to get the best from their horses, but Philippa Johnson's (South Africa) electrifying performance with Benedict won her the gold medal with a top score of 69.290 points.

The intricate steps of "enjoying the canter so much that I forgot I was supposed to trot" helped Johnson to overcome the efforts of Ann Cathrin Lubbe (Norway) riding her faithful Zanko, the horse that helped her claim the gold in the Athens 2004 Games. In third place was Georgia Bruce (Australia), astride V Salute, with a score of 68.258, just 0.254 points behind Lubbe.

In other news :
Nicholas Newman collects bronze in Javelin!

Tuesday 09/09/2008

Photos: Oscar Pistorius of South Africa wins Men's 100m - T44 gold!

Watch Oscar Pistorius, Men's 100, T44 Final nailbiting close Gold Video!

Wednesday 10/09/2008

The bronze medal went to Gavin Kilpatrick of South Africa and pilot Michael Thomson who beat Japan's Tatsuyuki Oshioro and his pilot Takahashi Hitoshi in the third place ride-off.

Watch our bronze medal cycling video feat Michael Thomson & Gavin Kilpatrick in the mens sprints!

Photos: Kevin Paul wins Men's 100m Breaststroke SB9 gold!

Watch Kevin Paul's 100m breastroke Gold Medal video!

Fanie Lombard bronze in Men's Shot Put - F42 & David Roos silver in Men's Long Jump - F46!

Second gold for Johnson!

Philippa Johnson won her second gold medal and South Africa's seventh when she took gold in the individual freestyle test equestrian event at the Paralympic Games on Wednesday. Her freestyle routine at the Hong Kong equestrian arena wowed the judges, and she ended up taking the individual freestyle test with a sparkling performance on Benedict. She scored 77.272 points to win comfortably from Ann Lubbe of Norway and Georgia Bruce of Australia.

"What an incredible horse," she said afterwards. "I just love Benedict. He dug deep and pulled out all the stops for me."

She won two silvers in the last Paralympics, and was understandably delighted at the improvement. She has been working with her coach Chris Haazen from the Netherlands towards the performance, and, although she lives in Belgium, she was acutely aware of support from South Africa.

"I want to thank everyone at home. It's made history for South Africa and South Africans can now hold their own in the equestrian Paralympics," she said.

Her medal took South Africa's haul to seven golds, a silver and three bronzes at the end of the fourth day of the Beijing Paralympics which places the country eighth on the table.

Thursday 11/09/2008

SA team for World Half Marathon

Athletics South Africa (ASA) on Thursday announced a team of five men and three women athletes to participate in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 12.

The final team has been selected after the highly successful Nedbank SA 10km Championships held in Stellenbosch on August 30.

The Championships served as the final trial for the athletes who were part of the provisional squad selected after the Nedbank SA Half Marathon Championships in Port Elizabeth in July.
Enos Matelane, who finished fourth at the SA 10km Championships and was selected in the provisional team, requested to be omitted from the final team as he is preparing for the Nedbank Cape Town City Marathon.

The athletes have proved to selectors both in Stellenbosch and Witbank at the Cross Country Championships that their preparations are well on track for Brazil.

Equally so, the women have been in excellent form, especially Zintle Xiniwe who is maturing into a fine runner, demonstrating that they too should perform well in the world event.

The team:
MEN: Boy Soke (AFS), Stephen Mokoka (AVT), Tshamano Setone (CGA), Jeffrey Gwebu (CGA), Lindikhaya Mthangayi (WPA).
WOMEN: Zintle Xiniwe (WPA), Annerien van Schalkwyk (AGN), Ntombesintu Ntshiliza (EPA).

Du Toit takes third gold!

In other news :

Photos: Natalie Du Toit claims title of Women's 200m Individual Medley SM9!

Watch Natalie du Toit, Women's 200m Individual Medley, Gold Video!

Friday 12/09/2008

We're leaving at 2pm and will be staying at the Berry Farm in Swellendam. Frikkie posted the Race against Crime 21km flyer for a race nearby!

Gabrselassie aims to lower marathon WR

Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie said on Thursday he is convinced he can lower his own world record at this year's Berlin marathon, on September 28.

The 35-year-old set the current marathon world record of two hours four minutes and 26 seconds on September 30 in Berlin last year, the 25th world record of his career, and he wants to go even faster over the flat 42.195 km-long course.

"I am convinced I can break the record again if the weather conditions are right," he said.
As a four times world champion and two-time Olympic champion over 10 000m, Gebrselassie is currently training at altitude near the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Gebrselassie finished fifth in the 10 000m at the Beijing Olympic Games behind compatriot and gold medal winner Kenenisa Bekele.

South Africa's Natalie du Toit claims the title and breaks the world record of the S9. (Photo credit: Xinhua)