The South African national team returned home with 45 medals this week after delivering a superb all-round performance, which included four world records, at the IAAF World Masters Athletics Championships in Perth, Australia.
South Africa finished eighth on the medals table at the 22nd edition of the age group event, which came to a close last weekend, earning 19 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze medals.
Hosts, Australia, ended top of the standings after raking in 469 medals.
In the Women’s 70-74 age group, Alette Ungerer set a world record of 1:13.97 in the 400m sprint, smashing the previous mark of 1:15.81.
Else Meyer achieved a new 20km Walk standard of 2:10:58, bettering the previous time of 2:12:27 in the same age division, and another walker, Vey Hildegard, shattered the 75-79 global standard in the 20km race in 2:33:39, covering the distance more than six minutes faster than the previous mark of 2:39:46.
Burton Haupt, competing in the Men’s 54-59 age group, achieved a Throws Pentathlon world record of 4 800 points, adding 23 points to the previous international standard. In total, SA athletes also broke 22 national records at the 11-day event.
“We are proud of the team’s achievements at the world championships. They carried the SA flag with honour, and we congratulate all athletes who earned medals and broke records. This shows once again that South African athletics is becoming stronger at all levels.
“We also thank the coaches of the athletes for their passion and dedication to our sport, and we urge veteran and master athletes to also take up coaching, in order to add further value to our school, youth and junior systems,” said Aleck Skhosana, the President of Athletics South Africa.
List of SA medallists:
Men:
Gold
Burton Haupt (55-59) Shot Put, 15.84m, Discus Throw, 51.19m, Throws Pentathlon, 4 800 (WR);
Andrzej Rzepecki (80-84) Hammer Throw, 44.05m; Weight Throw, 19.06m; Throws Pentathlon, 4 947.
Silver
Richard Reeves Ingram (35-39) 400m Hurdles, 56.32;
Moagi Moeketsi (45-49) 3 000m Steeplechase, 10:52.67;
Jan Heyns (45-49) Shot Put, 13.98m:
Martin Venter (45-49) Weight Throw, 16.86m;
Neal Bredeveldt (55-59) High Jump, 1.68m;
Burton Haupt (55-59) Weight Throw, 18.90m.
Bronze
Robin Buck, Richard Engram Reeves, Bonginkosi Mbhamali and Wayne Holroyd (35-39) 4x100m Relay, 44.23;
Robin Buck (40-44) Long Jump, 6.51m;
Martin Plews (40-44) Shot Put, 12.98m;
Martin Venter (45-49) Discus Throw, 40.76m, Throw Pentathlon, 3 526;
Burton Haupt (55-59) Hammer Throw, 50.27m;
Leonard John Claassen (65-69) 800m, 2:26.15;
Andrzej Rzepecki (80-84) Shot Put, 11.44m.
Women:
Gold
Salome Vermeulen (50-54) 800m, 2:22.70; 1 500m, 4:48.27;
Elaine Pretorius (55-59) 400m, 1:04.84;
Barbara Nell (60-64) 5 000m Walk, 27:32.00; 10 000m Walk, 57:54.00;
Aletta Ungerer (70-74) – 100m, 15.26; 400m, 1:13.97 (WR);
Elsa Meyer (70-74) 5 000m Walk, 30:33.72; 10 000m Walk, 1:02:22; 20 000m Walk, 2:10:58 (WR);
Hildegard Vey (75-79) 5 000m Walk, 35:41.31; 10 000m Walk, 1:12:10; 20 000m Walk, 2:33:39 (WR).
Silver
Emmarie Theunissen, Jeanette Carlisle, Liz Alexander and Salome Vermeulen (50-54) 4x400m Relay 4:43.75;
Jeanette Carlisle (55-59) 200m, 28.71;
Elaine Pretorius (55-59) 800m, 2:33.64;
Liz Alexander (60-64) 400m, 1:10.26; 800m, 2:44.96;
Barbara Nell (60-64) 20 000m Walk, 2:06:29;
Stephanie Claassen (65-69) Heptathlon, 4 826;
Aletta Ungerer (70-74) 200m, 32.21;
Anna du Plooy (85-89) 100m, 22.10; 200m, 50.04; 400m, 2:15.84.
Bronze
Johanne Geyer (55-59) 10 000m, 45:13.39.