South African athletes put the troubles at home behind them to win two gold medals on day two of athletics at the 27th Summer Universiade / World University Games in Kazan, Russia on Monday.
Anaso Jobodwana won the men’s 100m gold medal in a new lifetime best 10.10 seconds ahead of Japanese Ryota Yamagata and Ivory Coast’s Hua Wilfried Serge Koffi, with both timed 10.21 seconds.
Jobodwana, an Olympic 200m finalist from London last summer, had earlier ran an impressive 10.29 secs in the semi-finals. In June, Jobodwana finished in fourth place in the 200-metres at the 2013 NCAA Championships with a time of 20.29. Two days prior, during the preliminaries, the Jackson State University student finished second with a time of 20.02.
Another South African, Stephen Mokoka ran away with the men’s 10,000m title in 28:45.97 after toying with the Rybakov brothers (Anatoly and Evgeny) from Russia throughout the race.
In the women’s Discus throw event, South Africa’s Maryke Oberholzer (54.09m) picked the bronze medal behind two Russians, Vera Ganneva (61.26m) and Elena Panova (56.86m).
The South African athletes almost missed out on the trip to Kazan due to the internal problems within South African sport between the Olympic governing body (Sascoc) and Athletics South Africa (ASA)
South Africa’s John Robert Oosthuizen (76.48m) and Egypt’s Ihab Abd Elrahman (75.50m) are the only two Africans that advanced to the men’s Javelin Final on Wednesday, while Emmanuel Tugumisirize of Uganda (46.19) is the only African qualifier for the men’s 400m Final on Tuesday.
The 2013 Universiade continues in Kazan, Russia until July 17.
Selected Results
Men 100m Final
1) 714 JOBODWANA Anaso, RSA, 10.10 =PB;
2) 448 YAMAGATA Ryota, JPN, 10.21;
3) 189 KOFFI Hua Wilfried Serge, CIV, 10.21 PB;
4) 1045 SMELYK Sergii, UKR, 10.21 PB;
5) 1028 BODROV Igor, UKR, 10.29;
6) 99 EFFAH Samuel Appiah Adjei, CAN, 10.29;
7) 531 SAKALAUSKAS Rytis, LTU, 10.30 =SB;
8) 760 IDRISOV Mikhail, RUS, 10.64;
Men 10,000m Final
1) MOKOKA Stephen, RSA, 28:45.96
2) RYBAKOV Anatoly, RUS, 28:47.27
3) RYBAKOV Evgeny, RUS, 28:47.28
4) LORD Brandon Derek, CAN, 29:12.90 PB
5) VEGA Aldo Saul, MEX, 29:25.42
6) HATTORI Shota, JPN, 29:28.53
7) DUARTE Jose Luis, MEX, 29:29.55
8) DEMLEW Dessie Getnet, ETH, 29:35.81
9) TERER Amon, KEN, 29:39.36
Discus Throw Women Final
1) GANEEVA Vera, RUS, 61.26m
2) PANOVA Elena, RUS, 56.86m
3) OBERHOLZER Maryke, RSA, 54.09m
4) INSAENG Subenrat, THA, 53.40m SB
5) HIRVONEN Katri, FIN, 52.83m
