Team SA Olympian Zakithi Nene qualified for the final of the men’s 400m at the World Championships in Tokyo on Tuesday, but countryman Lythe Pillay missed out in an event where Botswana athletes also came to the fore. Nene’s time of 44.20 was fifth fastest of the eight finalists, but he had plenty in hand in winning through. Botswana have three finalists, headed by Busang Kebinatshipi, whose 63.61 is the fastest time in the world this year.
TUESDAY ACTION
MEN
400m, semi-finals: Zakithi Nene won his semi-final in 44.20, allowing himself to look left and right in the last 40 metres as he controlled the race from the front to set himself up as a clear medal favourite in Thursday’s final.
400m, semi-finals: Lythe PIllay missed out on a place in the final after finishing 6th in his semi-final in 44.82.
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 where Pillay was eliminated after finishing 6th in his race. Nene won his semi-final impressively in 44.20 to reach the final
1500m: Ryan Mphahlele finished 13th in his heat and didn’t progress to the semi-finals. Tshepo Tshite qualified for the final after cruising through his hat and the finishing 6th in his semi-final in 3:36.93
10,000m: Adriaan Wildschutt finished 10th in the one-off final in 29:58.47
110m hurdles: John Adesola finished 6th in his heat in 13.57, for 28th overall. Mondray Barnard also finished 6th in his heat, also in 13.57, for 30th overall. Antonio Alkana finished 7th in his heat in 13.64, for 33rd overall. None of these three qualified for the semi-finals
400m hurdles: Sabelo Dhlamini finished 5th in his heat in 49.50, for 30th overall and he did not progress to the semi-finals
Marathon: Elroy Galant finished 33rd in 2:16:32 in a race where 23 of the 89 starts were unable to complete the course
Long jump: Cheswill Johnson was eliminated in the qualification round after a distance of 7.55m left him 32rd overall
Shot put: Aiden Smith and Chris van Niekerk were eliminated in qualification
WOMEN
400m: Shirley Nekhubui was eliminated in the heats
100m hurdles: Marione Fourie finished 2nd in her heat to qualify for the semi-finals, where she was DQ’d
400m hurdles: Zeney van der Walt finished 4th in her heat to qualify for the semi-finals. Rogail Joseph finished 7th in her heat and she did not 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
