Kwaggas shine at Curro Podium South athletics meet

GEORGE NEWS - The athletes of Hoërskool Outeniqua shone brightly at the Curro Podium South athletics meet held at Dal Josafat Stadium in Paarl on 19 October, delivering a stellar performance that will be remembered for breaking records and setting new standards.

Outeniqua, known for developing top-tier talent, competed against 30 schools from across the Western and Southern Cape - and claimed five of the eight individual trophies, along with the Best Boys Team and Best Combined Team titles.

Outeniqua's success stood out in a meet featuring numerous high school athletics stars, including Naeem Jack, Faith Konde, Micha Africa and Nicola van der Merwe.

The Kwaggas' athletes gave standout performances that helped secure their school's dominant showing. Notable among them were individual achievements by Jayden Fourie, Walter van Rensburg and Thinus Erasmus.

Mieke Coetzee receives the trophy for Best Senior Girl Field Athlete from Riaan Stroebel.

Fourie, reigning South African u.16 long jump champion, secured first place in the long jump with a leap of 7.22m. Van Rensburg also proved unstoppable, scoring a perfect 1 000 points in the boys u.17 shotput.

Erasmus, who earned a bronze medal at the ASA u.18 championships earlier this year, dominated both the boys u.17 3 000m and the 1 500m, winning the latter with an impressive time of 03:58.47 - more than 14 seconds ahead of his nearest rival.

Erasmus was thrilled with the team's performance and the competitive atmosphere. "Winning this trophy is something special because we don't get this level of competition in the South Western Districts. Coming here and experiencing such high-calibre competition is amazing," he said.

Jacques Wolfaardt, the coach overseeing Outeniqua High's athletics programme that has produced stars like Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ané van Dyk and World u.20 pole vault champion Miré Reinstorf, was equally effusive in his praise.

"Winning five of the eight individual trophies is a testament to our athletes and coaches. In our region, athletics is losing popularity, with team sports like rugby and hockey becoming more attractive to talented youngsters. But athletics remains the foundation for all sports, and competitions like this are vital for its survival."

Wolfaardt emphasised the value of Curro's commitment to athletics, echoing the sentiments of Cindy van der Merwe, portfolio manager for Curro Sport.

"Curro believes in creating opportunities where athletes can continually improve and prepare for higher levels of competition. The success of this meet and athletes like those from Hoërskool Outeniqua is proof that we are building the champions of tomorrow," Van der Merwe said.

Team winners: