National records tumbled on Wednesday, as South African athletes dominated the first leg of the ASA Grand Prix series, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting held at Pilditch Stadium in Tshwane on Wednesday, 12 March, 2025.
Opening the main programme at the top-flight domestic meeting, Leandri Holtzhausen produced an impressive heave of 67.95 metres in the hammer throw, adding more than a metre to the national record of 66.54m which she had set at a Central Gauteng Athletics league meeting in Germiston, last month.
“I definitely feel I can go close to 70 metres. I really feel good, my training has been going well, and I feel it’s just a matter of time.”
New SA Hammer Throw Record Holder, Leandri Holtzhausen
Later in the programme, the national women’s 4x400m relay team broke the nine-year-old SA record over four laps. The quartet of Shirley Nekhubui, Miranda Coetzee, Marlie Viljoen and Zeney Geldenhuys, combined well to stop the clock at 3:28.30.
They took 0.19 off the national mark of 3:28.49 which was set by Caster Semenya, Jeanelle Griessel, Wenda Nel and Justine Palframan at the African Athletics Championships in Durban in 2016.
Prudence Sekgodiso also shone in the women’s 800m race, winning in 1:59.01 and holding off a challenge from Botswana’s Oratile Nowe, who was second in 1:59.46, setting a new national record.
In the women’s 100m hurdles race, Marioné Fourie stormed to victory in 12.77 seconds, clocking the fastest time in the world this year.
Sekgodiso and Fourie were both sharpening up for the World Athletics Indoor Championships to be held in China next week.
“We didn’t quite know where I was standing in training, so opening my outdoor season with a result like this just shows we are ready for next week,”
Grand Prix 1 100m Hurdles Champion and 2025 World Leader, Marione Fourie
“A wonderful afternoon this has been. It was a great opener to the South African track and field season,” said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa. “I’m struggling to hold my excitement at the rate our athletes are breaking national records this early nine the season.
“We are proud to congratulate our athletes for setting new records for others to target.”
* All ASA records are subject to standard ratification processes
Original Copy: Athletics SA, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: The new 4×400 SA women’s national record holders (from left) Marlie Viljoen, Zeney Geldenhuis, Miranda Coetzee and Shirley Nekhubui, who broke a nine-year old record at the first leg of the ASA Grand Prix series, a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting, held at Pilditch Stadium in Tshwane on Wednesday, 12 March, 2025 Photo: Cecilia van Bers
Photo 2 Caption: Leandri Holtzhausen set a new national hammer throw record of 67.95 metres, breaking the record she set in Germiston last month. Photo: Cecilia van Bers
Photo 3 Caption: Prudence Sekgodiso set a new SA women’s 800m record in 1:59.01, her third SA national record over the distance in 2025. Photo: Cecilia van Bers
