South African Athletics Championships 2023 preview: Full schedule and how to watch live
The South African senior track and field championships will feature some of the country's biggest global stars, including Wayde van Niekerk, Akani Simbine, and Ruswahl Samaai. Olympics.com looks at some of the big names in action and the rivalries that could provide fireworks.
Athletics
South Africa's athletics season will kick off in earnest at the national championships in Potchefstroom between 30 March and 1 April. Held over three days, the championships return to the university town located 120 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg.
The championships will feature the cream of South African track and field, including Wayde van Niekerk, Akani Simbine, Zeney van der Walt and Ruswahl Samaai.
South African Athletics Championships 2023: Stars to watch
Van Niekerk, the king of South African athletics, will make his first appearance in his pet 400m event at the national championships since 2016. The Olympic champion and world record holder will be looking to win his fifth national title in the one-lap sprint event when he steps onto the track at the McArthur Stadium.
Van Niekerk can expect a hostile reception when he lines up against two Young Turks - Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay - eager to take down the double world champion.
Chief among the challengers is two-time defending 400m championNene, the top local athlete in the one-lap event over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old Nene enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2022 when he became only the seventh South African to dip below 45 seconds in the 400m. He has since done it on two more occasions, including a personal best of 44.74 seconds which ranks him the fifth South African of all time.
While Pillay is yet to run a sub-45 second time, he has demonstrated a temperament for big events after winning gold in the men's 400m final at last year's World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. Pillay clocked a personal best of 45.28s to claim his maiden global title.
Van Niekerk will use the championships as a launching pad for the rest of his season, which may include a shot at reclaiming his world title in Budapest in August.
"I want to be back on the podium and get back to winning gold medals and challenging world records," Van Niekerk told Olympics.com.
"That has always been my goal, that has always been what I am looking forward to, and with that comes competition and challenges from various competitors. To get myself to the top, I have to start winning, which is a key focus for my upcoming competitions.
"I've experienced gold medals, and I have experienced a world record; I've experienced winning races, so that is where you want to be."
Short-sprint action hero
Two-time Olympic finalist Akani Simbine has been the dominant force in the 100m since he won the national title for the first time in 2015. South Africa's sub-10 second machine – with more than 30 legal times under 10 seconds – will be back into the blocks in Potchefstroom looking to claim his fifth national crown in the blue-riband event.
Simbine is eyeing a return to form in 2023 after conceding his African and Commonwealth Games titles to Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala. The year before, Omanyala also lowered the African record Simbine held with a time of 9.77 seconds.
Simbine could strike an early psychological blow over the Kenyan when he goes up against Omanyala's training partner and former South African champion, Henricho Bruintjies. Rising star and world under-20 medallist Benjamin Richardson will be among the youngsters looking for an upset victory.
Former world long jump bronze medallist Ruswahl Samaai is also looking for some redemption after a disappointing 2022 season where he failed to register a single jump over eight metres. Samaai may have an easier path towards claiming his fourth national title in the absence of injured Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jovan van Vuuren.
World under-20 high jump silver medallist Brian Raats will return to the setting where he leapt to a personal best of 2.26m in 2022 with a realistic shot at his first senior title.
In the women's events, Commonwealth Games 400m hurdles bronze medallist Zeney van der Walt is expected to be one of the main draw cards. The former world youth and junior champion dipped below 55 seconds for the first-time last year. She will be looking to continue her upward trajectory for a shot at the South African record of 53.74 seconds and higher honours.
Full schedule for the 2023 South African Senior Track and Field Championships
All times in South African Standard Time (SAST)
Thursday, 30 March
08:15 – 10000m women
10:00 – Pole vault women
10:30 – Javelin throw men
10:30 – High jump women
13:00 – Javelin throw women
14:00 – Pole vault men
15:30 – 10000m men
16:00 – Long jump women
16:00 – Shot put women
16:00 – Discus throw men
17:40 – 100m women
17:50 – 100m men
Friday, 31 March
13:00 – Triple jump men
14:00 – High jump men
14:30 – Triple jump women
16:00 – Hammer throw men
16:25 – 3000m steeple chase men
16:45 – 3000m steeple chase women
17:05 – 110m hurdles men
17:15 – 100m hurdles women
17:45 – 1500m men
18:00 – 1500m women
Saturday, 1 April
07:30 – 20km walk women
07:40 – 20km walk men
14:00 – Hammer throw women
14:00 – 400m hurdles men
14:15 – 400m hurdles women
14:40 – Long jump men
15:00 – 400m women
15:10 – Shot put men
15:10 – 400m men
15:50 – 5000m women
16:00 – Discus throw women
16:20 – 200m women
16:30 – 200m men
16:40 – 800m women
16:50 – 800m men
How to watch the South African Senior Track and Field Championships:
You can catch all the action at the South African athletics championships live on SuperSport.