Athletics
KweséESPN staff 6y

Young SA athletes to again be brought up to speed in 2018

 

The Puma School of Speed will return in 2018 aiming to uncover even more talented young South African athletes looking to follow in the footsteps of the great Usain Bolt or current local stars Thando Roto, Henricho Bruintjies or the Phalula sisters.

Through the nationwide series of athletics meetings -- which cater for high school students aged 14 to 19 -- talented young athletes stand the chance of becoming part of Puma's elite running ambassador programme for a year.

The success of this year's inaugural series was highlighted by the fact that eight 'graduates' formed part of Team South Africa who topped the medal table at the IAAF U18 Championships; namely Siyabonga Ndlovu, Retshiditswe Mlenga (who won 200m gold and 100m silver), Zakhiti Nene, Malesela Senona, Manfred Johannisen, Katinka Louw, Curwin Gerste and Elke van der Westhuizen.

"Together with Puma we are excited to help identify exceptional talent across South Africa," says Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports who event manage the series.

The Puma School of Speed is officially headed by the now retired Usain Bolt, and the Jamaican has appointed has appointed Thando Roto, South Africa's second fastest man over 100m, as his Vice Principal locally. Roto's job will be to serve as 'chief selector' and mentor during the series.

The 2018 series will have five stops, starting in Potchefstoom on Saturday, 20 January before moving to Johannesburg (Wednesday, 31 January), Durban (Saturday, 10 February), Paarl (Monday, 26 February) and culminating on Saturday, 3 March in Pretoria.

By visiting the Puma School of Speed website (www.schoolofspeed.com) and social media channels, athletes and schools can find information on how to enter the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, short hurdles and relays as well as long and high jump, which have been added to the programme for 2018.

Apart from the event prizes on offer from Puma, the series is endorsed by athletics federations, so performances count towards qualification for provincial and national championships.

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