Team SA Olympian Elroy Galant was the first South African in action on day three of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he competed in the men’s marathon. Galant finished 33rd in 2hr 16min 32sec in a race won by Tanzania’s Alphonce Sinbu in 2:09:48.
In the closest marathon finish in World Championship history, Simbu just squeezed past Amanal Petros of Germany at the line Petros, who looked to have a slight edge with 50 metres to go, was given the same time for his silver medal performance. Illiass Aouani of Italy, who entered the stadium with Simbu and Petros for the final 350 meters, took the bronze medal in 2:09:53.
MONDAY ACTION
MEN
Marathon: Elroy Galant came across the line 33rd in 2:16:32 in a race where 23 of the 89 starts were unable to complete the course
WOMEN
400m hurdles, heats: Zeney van der Walt finished 4th in her heat in 55.32 and qualified for the semi-finals as the 24th fastest on the overall summary
Pole vault, qualification, Group A: Mire Reinstorf was unable to measure a height in her attempts and didn’t progress to the final
OVERALL PERFORMANCES
MEN
100m: Akani Simbine and Gift Leotlela both came through the heats and semi-final to reach the final, but Retshidisitswe Mlenga fell out in the heats. Leotlela finished 5th in 9.95 in the final, with Simbine 7th in 10.04
400m: Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay both progressed from the heats into the semi-finals
10,000m: Adriaan Wildschutt finished 10th in the one-off final in 29:58.47
Marathon: Elroy Galant finished 33rd in 2:16:32 in a race where 23 of the 89 starts were unable to complete the course
Men’s shot put: Aiden Smith and Chris van Niekerk were eliminated in qualification
1500m: Ryan Mphahlele finished 13th in his heat and didn’t progress to the semi-finals
WOMEN
400m: Shirley Nekhubui was eliminated in the heats
100m hurdles: Marione Fourie finished 2nd in her heat to qualify for the semi-finals
400m hurdles: Zeney van der Walt finished 4th in her heat to qualify for the semi-finals
Long jump: Danielle Nolte was eliminated in qualification
Pole vault: Mire Reinstorf was unable to measure a height in qualification and didn’t progress to the final
35km race walk: Jessica Groenewalt finished 34th in the final
MIXED
4x400m: Team SA (Gardeo Isaacs, Miranda Coetzee, Leendert Koekemoer and Zeney van der Walt) ran an African record 3:11.16 in the heats and then Isaacs, Nekhubui, Koekemoer and Van der Walt finished 6th in the final
