Online Reporter
Australian sprinter Gout Gout scorched the track to clock 19.67 seconds and win the 200 metres at the Australian Athletics Championships yesterday, becoming the first Australian to break the 20-second barrier.
The final also saw Aidan Murphy dip under 20 seconds to finish second in 19.88, while Calab Law placed third in 20.21.
The 18-year-old Gout improved on his previous best of 20.02 to claim the title on the final day after fellow contender Lachlan Kennedy withdrew.It marked the first time Gout has run under 20 seconds in legal conditions after achieving the feat last year with the aid of a tailwind. The Mzansi athletics fraternity is still talking animatedly about the exploits of little-known runner Arthur Jantjies who came out of nowhere to win this year’s Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in Cape Town on Saturday morning.
The lanky and muscular Jantjies used his power to outrun one of the favorites, Onalenna Khonkhobe who was left eating dust in the final stages of the World’s Most Beautiful Race. In the ladies’ race Gerda Steyn continues to shatter records and she powered to her record-breaking, seventh consecutive victory, finishing at 3:27:43. After shaking off the attentions of Hollywood AC’s Tsepo Ramashamole just after the marathon mark, Zimbabwe’s Blessing Waison was the first man to crest Constantia Nek. His bravery forced the leading bunch including Onalenna Khonkhobe, defending champion Joseph Seutloali and Jantjies to give chase.
Waison was caught at 49km as the trio hurtled towards the finish with Khonkhobe making what he thought was the decisive move at the 51km mark. Seutloali would yield, but Jantjies showed tremendous strength to stay in touch with the 2024 champion [Khonkhobe]and then surged away from him just before Chet’s Hill to claim a famous 35 second victory over his friend and rival Khonkhobe.
“I know he (Khonkhobe) is faster than me. But in training we always pick up in the last 8km. I stayed close to him, and he gave up too quickly. Then I told myself I’m going to strike now,” confirms Jantjies. Running in only his second ultra marathon after claiming sixth position at the 2025 City to City Marathon (2:54:26).Jantjies’ name will be emblazoned alongside that of Gerda Steyn. Ten years after she ran her first 56km race in The Mother City, Steyn produced a polished tactical performance. The 36-year-old pulled away from reigning Africanbank Soweto Marathon champion Margaret Jepchumba moments after going through the marathon mark in 2:34:34. — Reuters/SundayWorld .
