Pretoria, South Africa - A delighted South African Davis Cup team celebrated with a lap of honour around the Irene Country Club match court after beating Luxembourg 3-0 on Saturday.

Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse gave the hosts the victory when they beat the hot Highveld weather and Luxembourgers Ugo Nastasi and Mike Scheidweiler 6-3 7-5 6-2 in one hour thirty nine minutes.

South African singles players, Tucker Vorster and Lloyd Harris put South Africa into a comfortable overnight position after both winning their respective singles rubbers in straight sets on Friday.

Marcus Ondruska, the South African captain was delighted with the win especially seeing it was his maiden outing as captain. “The win was real good for not only the country but the players. My players executed like true professionals and they lifted their games to a good level.”

Ondruska admitted that although his team had won 3-0 it was never easy. “Each and every Davis Cup tie has its challenges. The rankings play a small part and anything can happen at any time in Davis Cup competition, and we’ve seen that happen over the years. My boys brought a lot to the table, prepared well and enjoyed each other on and off the court which made the big difference out there.”

Roelofse said that O’Brien and himself were never worried during the match especially in the second set where they were extended to twelve games by their opponents. “We made a real solid start which set the tone for the rubber. I was serving well, holding serve with some ease which took off the pressure. I had a high percentage of first serves and that made it easier. In fact I’m impressed with myself having lost only four points on serve throughout the rubber. We were always ahead and never worried.”

O’Brien said that going into Saturday’s doubles Luxembourger, Ugo Nastasi had the advantage having had played in the singles on Friday which gave him a good feel for the court and conditions.

“Ruan and I didn’t do anything special. We played solid and kept percentage which paid off. It was great that we could get on top of our opponents early as Nastasi had played Friday and knew the conditions which we didn’t know” said O’Brien.

O’Brien concluded that he was very happy with the South African teams overall performance. “We are all really playing well and having not dropped a set in two days shows the good form we are in.”

South Africa now wait for the winner of the Lithuanian vs Norway tie being played also this weekend in Siauliai, Lithuania.

On Sunday the reverse singles will be played starting at 10h00 however both singles rubbers will be reduced to the best of three tie-break sets.

Tickets to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 South Africa vs Luxembourg tie are available at R100.00 per person and at R250 for a season ticket (three day ticket) via Webtickets.co.za and instore at Pick n Pay’s with Money Counters

Order of Play/Results

Friday 4 March 2016 (10h00)
Tucker Vorster (RSA) bt Alex Knaff (Lux) 6-1 6-4 6-4
Lloyd Harris bt Ugo Nastasi (Lux) 6-1 6-4 6-4

Saturday 5 March 2016 (12h00)
Dean O’Brien/Ruan Roelofse (RSA) bt Mike Scheidweiler/Ugo Nastasi (Lux) 6-3 7-5 6-2

Pretoria, South Africa - A dominant South African Davis Cup team romped to a 5-0 win over Luxembourg at the Irene Country Club, Pretoria on Sunday.

South Africa failed to lose a set in all five rubbers played in the three day tie and were in firm control throughout.

On Sunday in the reverse singles, which were reduced to best of three tie break sets as the tie had already been decided, Tucker Vorster and Lloyd Harris gave South Africa the clean sweep.

Vorster beat Tom Diederich 6-3 6-4 whilst Harris beat Alex Knaff 6-2 6-1 in front of an impressive and enthusiastic crowd.

Marcos Ondruska, the South African Captain said he couldn’t be happier with his first outing as captain. “I am extremely happy and proud of my team. It was a dream start to my Davis Cup captaincy and my players executed well and really lifted their games to a high level, kept composed and put on a good show. We failed to lose a set this weekend, didn’t take any set to a tiebreaker and that showed the form of the entire team was on point.”

Ondruska said that the solid win was a team effort. “The entire squad have got on extremely well and this played a huge part in the weekend success. The guys have had a fun time and made the most of every opportunity which helped a lot with the win.” Ondruska also thanked fifth squad member Keith-Patrick Crowley and trainer Karen Vd Merwe for their valuable contributions.

On Saturday the South African doubles team of Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse sealed the tie with a straight set win over Ugo Nastasi and Mike Scheidweiler 6-3 7-5 6-2. Vorster and Harris both opened procedures on Friday with identical score (6-1 6-4 6-4) wins over their respective opponents Alex Knaff and Udo Nastasi in the singles rubbers.

South Africa will now play Lithuania, away in Lithuania in round 2 from 15-17 July 2016.

Pretoria, South Africa – Last week Friday while playing the role of Chief of Umpires at the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas South Africa vs Luxembourg tie in Pretoria, Tennis South Africa’s Mpho Makhoba was awarded Technical Official of the Year (amongst all sports) at the Gauteng School Sports Awards. The awards were held at a glitzy event in Boksburg.

Makhoba in 2015 was awarded International Umpire Silver Status in Morocco where she was one of only two participants, and the only woman. It was the first time a Silver Status had been awarded as a joint certification of the WTA, ITF and ATP. Makhoba became the first female official to receive an international qualification under the joint certification programme run by ITF incorporating the ATP and WTA.
Mpho is now the fourth South African female official to achieve an international Chief of Umpires qualification, former officials were Nelly Garvin, Louis Hartman and June Dunk (early 1990’s).

Pretoria, South Africa - The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and tennis South Africa (TSA) jointly announced that the 39th African Junior Championships would be hosted in South Africa,
The Championships will be played from Wednesday 9th March to Friday 18th March at the HPC at the University of Pretoria.

120 players from 28 countries are set to take to the hard courts to contest this year’s individual and team trophies in the 14 & Under and 16 & Under events.
Also up for grabs will be the all-important team trophy, which was won by Egypt in 2015. Egypt, who has already wrapped up the boys’ singles title at the recently contested 18 & Under will be facing stiff competition this year from hosts, South Africa, along with Tunisia which claimed the girls’ singles title of the 18 & Under event at home and Morocco.

Most of the players arrived over the weekend to acclimatise to the high altitude conditions in Pretoria. The girls 16 & Under event will be headed by Sada Nahimana of Burundi, who will be looking to win her third African Junior Championship title in as many years, after winning the 14 & Under titles in 2014 and 2015.

Yousef Khamis of Egypt, ranked 230 in the world junior rankings, heads the entry in the 16 & Under boys event. Following some strong performances in the Southern African Junior Championships held in January, the South Africans look like a dominant force in both the girls and boys 14 & Under events.

This year’s Championship will be taking on a new format with an extensive round robin stage followed by play-off draws. The event comes to an end with the finals on Friday 18th March.
Participating teams : South Africa, Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Benice, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Morocco, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Zimbabwe.

South African team;

Boys 14 and Under
Kholo Montsi (GN)
Damien Nezar (SWD)
Connor Kruger (GN)
Andreas Scott (GC)

Boys 16 and Under
Philip Henning (FS)
Justin Liebenberg (GC)
Christiaan Worst (GN)
Thando Longwe-Smit (WP)

Girls 14 and Under
Lara van Der Merwe (NW)
Makayla Loubser (WP)
Delien Kleinhans (FS)
Rochelle Pienaar (Bol)

Girls 16 and Under
Corin De Waal (Bol)
Kaylin Bouwer (EP)
Maja Gledic (GC)
Angela Georgieva (GC)

Johannesburg, South Africa - The most sought-after title in women’s road running, the SPAR Grand Prix, is 10 years old this year, and is celebrating by looking to the future.
As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, SPAR has announced that each of the runners who have won the Grand Prix title will take a promising junior runner under her wing. This mentorship programme will include the junior runners travelling to all five races with their mentors, and having access to advice about training, strategy and various aspects of competition.
The SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge series is by far the biggest in South Africa, with more than 100 000 women competing in the five races held around the country. Many of South Africa’s elite athletes have launched their careers in the SPAR Challenge, with runners like Rene Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl stamping their mark while still running as juniors.
In an environment where women’s sporting achievements are largely under-reported, the Challenge has been an opportunity for the top runners to receive the recognition they richly deserve.
The Grand Prix was launched in 2007 to consolidate the five SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge races into a single series for elite athletes. It has proved highly successful, with South Africa’s top runners vying for the top spot and raising the profile of each of the five races, which are held in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Five of the six runners who have won the Grand Prix have either qualified, or are in the process of qualifying, for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro later this year, and Kalmer and Van Zyl both took part in the London Olympics in 2012.
Rene Kalmer has won the Grand Prix title three times and Irvette van Zyl has won it twice.Poppy Mlambo won the inaugural title. The ebullient Mapaseka Makhanya won in 2014, and the road running twins, Diana-Lebo and Lebogang Phalula took the title in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Kalmer said she was very excited about the mentorship programme.
“I think it’s awesome that we are going to mentor some of the junior runners,” she said.
“I feel privileged to be able to give something back.”
She said the junior runners would find that running was not always plain sailing, but their mentors would be there to help them through the bad patches.
“The juniors will travel to the SPAR races with us, so we will be able to advise them and to help them with training programmes and race tactics. I think we will be like a helpline for the juniors. It is all part of building for the future,” said Kalmer.
Ian Laxton, founder and coordinator of the Grand Prix, said the SPAR series had been a beacon of light for woman runners of all ages.
“At the elite end every single athlete considers these races to be the equivalent of national championships,” said Laxton.
“ Spar has assisted numerous runners establish and consolidate their careers in an environment where there is little opportunity other than trying to get into races overseas or moving up to ultra distances. The 10km distance is perfect because it caters for both established world-class runners as well as youngsters trying to make their mark.
“Moving into its second decade, the Spar Grand Prix is again opening the door for elite runners to earn big prize money, attract sponsors, run world class times, compete with international athletes coming into South Africa and offering them a unique opportunity to compete in world-class events without men. And now the addition of the junior-mentorship element will assist South African running to have a new generation of world class runners to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Rene, Elana Meyer and the Phalulas,” said Laxton.
SPAR Marketing Director Mike Prentice welcomed the mentorship programme.
“The SPAR Challenge races and the Grand Prix are among our most important sponsorships,” said Prentice.
“The Grand Prix has been going for 10 years now, and it has gone from strength to strength. With this programme, we will ensure that the current high standards will be maintained in the future, and our Grand Prix winners will be part of an exciting development programme.”
The prize money for the Grand Prix has been increased, with the winner taking home R160 000. The runner-up will receive R53 000 and the third-placed athlete R32 000. There are cash prizes for the top 15 athletes. There are also cash prizes for the top runners in the junior, veteran, master and grand master categories. Prize money for 2016 amounts to a whopping R405 000.
In another innovation, the winner of each race will be paid a bonus of R10 000, in addition to the race prize money.
The first race takes place from the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on April 17.

Johannesburg, South Africa - The most sought-after title in women’s road running, the SPAR Grand Prix, is 10 years old this year, and is celebrating by looking to the future.
As part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, SPAR has announced that each of the runners who have won the Grand Prix title will take a promising junior runner under her wing. This mentorship programme will include the junior runners travelling to all five races with their mentors, and having access to advice about training, strategy and various aspects of competition.
The SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge series is by far the biggest in South Africa, with more than 100 000 women competing in the five races held around the country. Many of South Africa’s elite athletes have launched their careers in the SPAR Challenge, with runners like Rene Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl stamping their mark while still running as juniors.
In an environment where women’s sporting achievements are largely under-reported, the Challenge has been an opportunity for the top runners to receive the recognition they richly deserve.
The Grand Prix was launched in 2007 to consolidate the five SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge races into a single series for elite athletes. It has proved highly successful, with South Africa’s top runners vying for the top spot and raising the profile of each of the five races, which are held in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Five of the six runners who have won the Grand Prix have either qualified, or are in the process of qualifying, for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro later this year, and Kalmer and Van Zyl both took part in the London Olympics in 2012.
Rene Kalmer has won the Grand Prix title three times and Irvette van Zyl has won it twice.Poppy Mlambo won the inaugural title. The ebullient Mapaseka Makhanya won in 2014, and the road running twins, Diana-Lebo and Lebogang Phalula took the title in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Kalmer said she was very excited about the mentorship programme.
“I think it’s awesome that we are going to mentor some of the junior runners,” she said.
“I feel privileged to be able to give something back.”
She said the junior runners would find that running was not always plain sailing, but their mentors would be there to help them through the bad patches.
“The juniors will travel to the SPAR races with us, so we will be able to advise them and to help them with training programmes and race tactics. I think we will be like a helpline for the juniors. It is all part of building for the future,” said Kalmer.
Ian Laxton, founder and coordinator of the Grand Prix, said the SPAR series had been a beacon of light for woman runners of all ages.
“At the elite end every single athlete considers these races to be the equivalent of national championships,” said Laxton.
“ Spar has assisted numerous runners establish and consolidate their careers in an environment where there is little opportunity other than trying to get into races overseas or moving up to ultra distances. The 10km distance is perfect because it caters for both established world-class runners as well as youngsters trying to make their mark.
“Moving into its second decade, the Spar Grand Prix is again opening the door for elite runners to earn big prize money, attract sponsors, run world class times, compete with international athletes coming into South Africa and offering them a unique opportunity to compete in world-class events without men. And now the addition of the junior-mentorship element will assist South African running to have a new generation of world class runners to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Rene, Elana Meyer and the Phalulas,” said Laxton.
SPAR Marketing Director Mike Prentice welcomed the mentorship programme.
“The SPAR Challenge races and the Grand Prix are among our most important sponsorships,” said Prentice.
“The Grand Prix has been going for 10 years now, and it has gone from strength to strength. With this programme, we will ensure that the current high standards will be maintained in the future, and our Grand Prix winners will be part of an exciting development programme.”
The prize money for the Grand Prix has been increased, with the winner taking home R160 000. The runner-up will receive R53 000 and the third-placed athlete R32 000. There are cash prizes for the top 15 athletes. There are also cash prizes for the top runners in the junior, veteran, master and grand master categories. Prize money for 2016 amounts to a whopping R405 000.
In another innovation, the winner of each race will be paid a bonus of R10 000, in addition to the race prize money.
The first race takes place from the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on April 17.

Pretoria, South Africa - As the Easter holidays approach, the Free State capital Mangaung is gearing itself up for feast of top junior tennis.

Bloemfontein will once again host the Dunlop Free State Challenge from Saturday 19 March to Wednesday 23 March. The tournament is a major event on the national junior tennis calendar and is part of the Tennis South Africa (TSA) Series.
The Dunlop Free State Challenge also is an important warm up event for the South African National Junior Tennis Championships which will also be hosted by Bloemfontein from Thursday 24 March to Tuesday 29 March.

Free State Tennis, hosts of the tournament said that five venues would be used in the greater Bloemfontein area to play the tournament, with the Free State Tennis Stadium being the main site.
The other venues are; University of Free State, Grey College, Eunice High School and Mudd Plein Tennis Club.

So Easter time is proving to be tennis time as over 700 juniors from all over South Africa converge on Mangaung over the next fortnight.

The seeds for the Dunlop Free State Challenge were announced as follows;

Boys
12 and under
1-Connor Van Schalkwyk (Nam)
2-Devin Badenhorst (GN)
3-Gerard Henning (FS)
4-Benjamin Davidyan (WP)
5-Daniel Crowie (GC)
6-Benjamin Scott (GC)
7-Aleksander Simovski (GN)
8-Ernst Gouws (GC)

14 and under
1-Codie Van Schalkwyk (GC)
2-Connor Kruger (GN)
3-Tatenda Mutetwa (GE)
4-Dylan Salton (GE)
5-Nikolai Hensberg (Bor)
6-Luan Krige (WP)
7-Tom McHugh (WP)
8-William Zulch (GC)

16 and under
1-Philip Henning (FS)
2-Marno Stander (WP)
3-Charl Morgan (GC)
4-Pierre Malan (WP)
5-Aaron Marks (WP)
6-Joubert Klopper (FS)
7-Gerhard Swart (GN)
8-Gerhardt Becker (GN)

Men
1-Bertus Kruger (GC)
2-Richard Thongoana (GC)
3-Jandre Lessing (EP)
4-Sipho Montsi (GN)
5-Nikolai Manchev (KZN)
6-Christian Van Der Wath (Bol)
7-Juan-Louis Van Antwer (GC)
8-Hubert Badenhorst (FS)

Girls
12 and under
1-Suzanie Pretorius (FS)
2-Line Greyling (FS)
3-Leigh Van Zyl (Bol)
4-Naledi Manyube (SWD)
5-Marjuzel Venter (NC)
6-Martina Garnevska (GN)
7-Caitlyn Zietsman (EP)
8-Heike Janse Van Vuure (Bol)

14 and under
1-Alta Brink (Bol)
2-Gizelle Naude (FS)
3-Christine Kruger (FS)
4-Maretha Burger (Bol)
5-Inge Greyling (FS)
6-Kylie Misdorp (KZN)
7-Megan Basson (GC)
8-Mieke Van Deventer (GC)

16 and under
1-Lara Van Der Merwe (NWP)
2-Bianca Wolmarans (Bol)
3-Myah Petchey (WP)
4-Evangeline Du Toit (Bol)
5-Carmen Fichardt (FS)
6-Delien Kleinhans (FS)
7-Lungile Ntuli (WP)
8-Mia Dittberner (GN)

Women
1-Maxine Bateman (KZN)
2-Tayla Van Eck (GC)
3-Bianca Koen (GN)
4-Angela Georgieva (GC)
5-Minette Van Vreden (Bol)
6-Amelie Boy (MRI)
7-Imaan Hassim (GC)
8-Megan Lombardi (WP)

Pretoria, South Africa - The South African junior tennis team reclaimed their number one position in Africa when they won the team trophy of the 39th ITF/CAT African Junior Championships which ended in Pretoria over the weekend.

Defending champions Egypt finished second with Morocco ending in third place over all.

In a dominant display of top class tennis played at the University of Pretoria, South African junior players in the under 14 and 16 age groups won 3 of the 8 titles up for grabs in the boys and girls competitions.

This performance gave the host nation enough points to end top of the log out of 29 countries participating. South Africa last won the title in 2012.

The lone South African singles title was won by Capetonian Makayla Loubser who beat Aisha Niyonkuru of Burundi 7-5 6-3 in the girls under 14. In the boys under 16, South African Philip Henning of Bloemfontein lost in the final to Egyptian Yousef Khamis 6-7 (4) 2-6.

In the doubles, South Africa won two titles and were a losing finalist in one age group.

“We are extremely proud of our juniors and their coaches and the tournament organisers” said Gavin Crookes, President of Tennis South Africa (TSA). “It was indeed a honour and privilege for the International Tennis Federation and Confederation of African Tennis to allow South Africa to host such a prestigious event. We did ourselves proud and with our juniors taking top honours it was the cherry on the cake.”

FINALRESULTSOFTHEAFRICANJUNIORCHAMPIONSHIPS

Singles
Boys 14 and Under
Damien Laporte (Syc) bt Mickael Osewa (Ngr) 7-5 6-4

Boys 16 and Under
Yousef Khamis (Egy) bt Philip Henning (RSA) 7-6 (4) 6-2

Girls 14 and Under
Makayla Loubser (RSA) bt Aisha Niyonkuru (Bdi) 7-5 6-3

Girls 16 and Under
Sada Nahimana (Bdi) bt Diae El Jardi (Mad) 6-0 6-4

Doubles
Boys 14 and Under
Assil Boussairy/Younes Adnane (Mri) w/o 1-Damien Laporte/Ryan Randiek (Ken) (Laporte and Randiek withdrew)

Boys 16 and Under
3-Philip Hennig/Justin Liebenberg (RSA) bt Christiaan Worst/Thando Longwe-Smit (RSA) 6-2 6-4

Girls 14 and Under
1-Makayla Loubser/Lara Van Der Merwe (RSA) bt 3-Hania Abouelsaad/Lina Ali (Egy) 6-2 6-3

Girls 16 and Under
1-Oumaima Aziz/Diae El Jardi (Mri) bt 2-Zarah Lennon/Celestine Ella (Mri) 6-4 6-3

• Bloemfontein to host National Junior Tennis Championships

Bloemfontein, South Africa – A top entry of 562 of the country’s top junior tennis players are in the Free State capital, Mangaung for this week’s South African Junior Nationals.

South Africa’s premier junior tennis event will be contested in four age groups namely the under 12, 14, 16 and 18 at four Bloemfontein tennis venues. The players will play in singles and doubles events within each of the age groups.

The five day event to be played from 24-29 March, 2016.

The under 12 age group will play at Grey and Eunice schools with the under 14 playing at the University of Free State courts. The Free State Stadium will host the boys and girls under 16 and under 18 age groups.
All the semi-finals and finals on Monday and Tuesday the 28th and 29th of March will be played at the main venue, The Free State Tennis Stadium.

The South African Junior Nationals follows the Dunlop Free State Challenge the official warm up tournament for the nationals.

Acting Tennis South Africa (TSA) CEO Gavin Crookes said that the South African Junior Nationals formed an important part of the development of tennis in South Africa. “We at TSA take the development of tennis very seriously and see it as the future success of our sport. When you get over 500 of the country’s top junior players together in one city at one time you enable the players to battle amongst the best and off court have good social fun which is an important part of the growth of the players and the game.”

Crookes said that Bloemfontein was the perfect venue for the big event. “We have over the years chosen Bloemfontein to host the Junior National Championships due to the fact that they have a large amount of courts in fabulous condition, great tennis venues and an abundance of affordable accommodation. It made sense for TSA to partner with Free State Tennis and play our premier junior tennis event giving the players and their parents, coaches and academies an affordable and good tennis experience.”

WALESTOPLAYSPARPROTEASINNETBALLTESTSERIES

Pretoria, South Africa

The SPAR Proteas and the South African U/21’s will play Wales in a SPAR Netball test series that is scheduled for June.

The baby SPAR Proteas will use the series as part of their preparations on the road to the Youth World Cup which will be in Botswana.

Netball South Africa CEO Blanche De la Guerre says “Wales are a great opponent and they have just the right sort of competitive culture to make this series very exciting.”

Ends

Bloemfontein, South Africa - The seeds for this week’s Tennis South Africa National Junior Championship tournament were announced by Tennis South Africa (TSA) today (Wednesday).

This premier junior tennis event will be contested in four age groups namely the under 12, 14, 16 and 18 at four Bloemfontein tennis venues with the semi-finals and finals on Monday and Tuesday the 28th and 29th of March played at the main venue, The Free State Tennis Stadium. The players will play in singles and doubles events within each of the age groups.

The five day event will be from 24-29 March, 2016.

The seeds were announced as follows;

Boys
12
1. Devin Badenhorst (GN)
2. Rohan Loubser (WP)
3. Yarona Morule (GN)
4. Gerard Henning (FS)
5. Benjamin Davidyan (WP)
6. Daniel Crowie (GC)
7. Benjamin Scott (GC)
8. Ernst Gouws (GC)

14
1. Khololwam Montsi (GN)
2. Connor Kruger (GN)
3. Andreas Scott (GC)
4. Damien Nezar (SWD)
5. Dylan Salton (GE)
6. Nikolai Hensberg (Bor)
7. Luan Krige (WP)
8. Tom McHugh (WP)

16
1. Justin Liebenberg (GC)
2. Philip Henning (FS)
3. Marno Stander (WP)
4. Charl Morgan (GC)
5. Pierre Malan (WP)
6. Christiaan Worst (GN)
7. Thando Longwe-Smit (WP)
8. Joubert Klopper (FS)

18
1. Damon Kesaris (KZN)
2. Bertus Kruger (GC)
3. Jordan Sauer (GN)
4. Michael Copeland (GC)
7. Rossouw Norval (Bol)
6. Jandré Lessing (EP)
5. Richard Thongoana (GC)
8. Cameron Petersen (GC)

Girls
12
1. Suzanie Pretorius (FS)
2. Line Greyling (FS)
3. Leigh Van Zyl (Bol)
4. Naledi Manyube (SWD)
5. Mikayla Plitt (GE)
6. Marjuzel Venter (NC)
7. Martina Garnevska (GN)
8. Caitlyn Zietsman (EP)

14
1. Lara Van Der Merwe (NWP)
2. Makayla Loubser (WP)
3. Delien Kleinhans (FS)
4. Rochelle Pienaar (Bol)
6. Gizelle Naude (FS)
5. Alta Brink (Bol)
7. Ntokozo Zungu (GC)
8. Christine Kruger (FS)

16
1. Corin De Waal (Bol)
2. Angela Georgieva (GC)
3. Alexis Tensfeldt (GC)
4. Kaylin Bouwer (EP)
5. Megan Lombardi (WP)
6. Bianca Wolmarans (Bol)
7. Myah Petchey (WP)
8. Samantha Muller (GC)

18
1. Maxine Bateman (KZN)
2. Tayla Van Eck (GC)
3. Bianca Koen (GN)
4. Minette Van Vreden (Bol)
5. Imaan Hassim (GC)
6. Wilanie Van Zyl (EP)
7. Samantha Johnson (GE)
8. Casandra Metzer (GE)

Mangaung, South Africa - The careers of four winners of the South African Junior Tennis Nationals which ended in Bloemfontein on Wednesday have been given a welcome boost.

Tennis South Africa (TSA) confirmed that the national under 18 boy and girl winner will be awarded a wild card into the main draw of one of the three Digicall Futures weeks to be played later this year.

Meanwhile the under 16 boy and girl winners would also be given wildcards but into the Curro Junior ITF International Junior Tournament to be played in Stellenbosch in September.

“We need to make the most of every opportunity in hosting international tournaments in our country” admitted Gavin Crookes, President of TSA. “I am most grateful to the organisers of the Futures and ITF Juniors in partnering TSA in giving this golden opportunity to our deserved juniors who hopefully will take up the opportunity and earn world ranking points to assist them with their careers.”

Bertus Kruger of Gauteng Central captured the boys under 18 singles title when he upset top seeded Damon Kasaris of KwaZulu Natal 6-2 6-3. An “out of sorts” Kasaris was no match for left handed Kruger in the battle of the Junior Davis Cup teammates. Despite a strong start by Kasaris, Kruger found the important first break of the match at 2-2 in the opening set and dominated. Kasaris in the second set had four break point opportunities which he failed to capitalize on. “My forehand was on song and I felt confident with my ground strokes. It’s a great feeling to have finally won a national singles title and I hope that I can defend it next year” said Kruger.

Tayla Van Eck (Gauteng Central) beat Minette Van Vreden (Boland) 6-2 3-6 7-5 in the girls under 18 final. Despite having lost her serve in the opening game, Van Eck seeded two, broke back and raced to a 4-2 lead and held on to win the opener 6-2. Van Vreden, seeded four, fought hard in the second set, found the important break of serve in the sixth game and went on to win the set 6-3 forcing the decider. In the final set, both players held serve until the twelfth game when Van Eck found the break to win the set, match and title.

So as a bonus Kruger and Van Eck earn wild-cards into any week of their choice of the Digicall Futures to be played in Stellenbosch in September.

The boys under 16 title was won by local Free State hero, Phillip Henning. Henning of Grey High School seeded two upset the tournament favourite Justin Liebenberg 6-1 6-3 and dropped only one set in the five matches played en route to winning the title. Henning won his fifth national singles title in a row and joins former professionals Neville Godwin (7) and Jeff Coetzee (6) as the third most capped national singles winner in South African tennis history.
Port Elizabeth’s Kaylin Bouwer had the tournament of her life winning the double. Seeded four, Bouwer upset top seed Angela Georgieva of Johannesburg 6-4 7-5 in the girls under 16 final. The win by Bouwer who shocked top seed Corin De Waal in the semifinals, was her first national singles title. Bouwer also won the doubles title partnering Corin De Waal of Boland.

The Curro ITF wild cards will go to Henning and Bouwer for their efforts.

In the under 14 age group, tournament favourite Kholo Montsi and second seeded Makayla Loubser were victorious. Montsi easily took the boys title over fellow Pretorian, second seeded Connor Kruger 6-0 6-3. Loubser of Western Province upset top seed Lara Van Der Merwe from Potchefstroom in the North West 6-2 3-6 6-4 in a titanic battle that lasted two hours forty five minutes.

The under 12 titles went to top seeds Devin Badenhorst (Gauteng North) and Suzanie Pretorious (Free State). The under 10 titles were won by Jordan Georgieva of Johannesburg and Donna Le Roux of Bloemfontein, daughter of former Rugby Springbok, Ollie Le Roux.

Johannesburg, South Africa - Tennis South Africa were sad to learn about the death of South African tennis legend Abe Segal. Segal was not only one of the greatest tennis players to emerge from South Africa but was also undoubtedly one of the greatest personalities in the sport worldwide.
Segal, 85, had been suffering from cancer and passed away in Cape Town on Monday night.
Together with Gordon Forbes, they formed one the world’s best doubles teams, and the two remained great friends off the court. Forbes wrote two books—A Handful Of Summers and Too Soon To Panic – in which Segal featured prominently. In fact, the title of the second book comes from a quote from Segal during a Davis Cup tie against Germany in Berlin in 1962.
Actor and writer Peter Ustinov wrote the forward to A Handful Of Summers and when Segal produced his book in 2008, called Hey Big Boy, not to be outdone Segal got Sean Connery to pen the forward in his book.
On the international stage Segal twice made the finals of the French Open, in 1958 with Australian Roy Howe where they lost in four sets to Ashley Cooper and Neale Fraser and again in 1963 with Forbes where they lost to Roy Emerson and Manuel Santana.
Forbes and Segal reached the Wimbledon semi-finals that same year and it was a title Forbes felt they could have won had Segal not pulled a stomach muscle prior to the game. “Abe was never injured. That was the only time. Abe never complained and he never made excuses but he could only serve at half pace and his serve was usually his biggest strength.”
There had been quite a few upsets that year and the team that beat them in semis went on to win the title.
“We played together for a long time and won the SA Open four times and every provincial title at least once. We also won the British Hard Court, which was a big tournament in those days, twice,” said Forbes.
In the later part of his life Segal also took up painting and surprised most people with his talent and insight. He was also a close friend of hotel magnate Sol Kerzner and worked as the tennis pro at Sun City until his retirement eight years ago.
“Abe Segal was not only a superb player but also one of the sport’s greatest characters,” said Tennis South Africa President Gavin Crookes. “He mixed in some of the best circles and was never scared to give his opinion, no matter how hard-hitting it may have been.
“He was highly respected around the world and he will be a loss to our sport.”
Abe Segal was survived by two daughters, Nancy and Susie who both live in the USA.

Johannesburg, South Africa – After the great success of the inaugural Wilson R100 000 Challenge in 2013, the World’s leading tennis brand Wilson have announced that they will once again host the open tennis tournament this year.

The Wilson R100 000.00 Challenge will be played at the Gauteng East Tennis Centre, Country Lane, Lakefield, Benoni, from 27 April to 02 May 2016. The big advantage being that these dates include 2 public holidays and a week-end.

Brothers Brad and Brett Summers, Directors of The Golf Racket, who are the distributors of Wilson products throughout South Africa are delighted to once again be hosting the event and with it are happy to be putting something back into the sport they love.

The tournament will be hosting the following events namely an Open Men’s and Women’s event together with a Boys and Girls U/14 event. All events will have a singles and doubles draw.

Wilson are happy to announce that prize money will again be paid from the quarter finals. Junior recipients will get vouchers to the value of the allocated prize money as the rules of tennis do not allow juniors to receive prize money.

The sponsors will have the rights to 4 wild card nominations into the Open tournament and the tournament will be run under the auspices of Tennis South Africa (TSA).

Tennis South Africa’s President, Gavin Crookes praised Wilson for this ongoing initiative. “Wilson’s ongoing commitment to tennis in South Africa with a fantastic initiative such as this is commended. A tournament like this affords the greater tennis family not only the opportunity to participate and watch awesome top level tennis, but also the occasion to rekindle friendships and reaffirm the passion we all have for tennis. The Event is a superb example of Tennis South Africa’s Vision Statement of “we all want to see someone playing tennis somewhere every day”.

To enter visit www.tennissa.co.za or from the below link.
https://tsa.sportyhq.com/tournament/view/2016044-WILSON-R100000-CHALLENGE/sign_up

For enquiries please contact Lorna Krog on 011-616-0309, 083-630-1990 or The Golf Racket on 011-807-5362.

Ends

Cape Town, South Africa - Fresh from her victory in the 5000m at the South African Championships in Stellenbosch on Friday, Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) cruised to victory in the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday morning, in a time of 33.24 minutes. Teammate Rutendo Nyahora was second in 33.52, followed by Lebogang Phalula (Boxer) in 34 minutes.

A smiling Nyahora took the early lead, but Van Zyl overtook over at about three kilometres, and never looked back. Van Zyl, who gave birth to a son seven months ago, looked relaxed as she ate up the kilometres.
“I wasn’t planning to run fast,” she said. “My coach told me not to go under 33.20, because he didn’t want me too tired for the London Marathon next Sunday.
“I really didn’t expect to win, but everything went my way today. My legs are feeling alive again, and I’m very happy at the moment. I’m enjoying my running and I am enjoying motherhood.”
Van Zyl was pregnant for much of 2015, and before that had a number of injuries, but she appears to be in the form of her life. Earlier this year, she won the Two Oceans half marathon, and in fact has not been beaten in 2016.

Nyahora said she had enjoyed the race. “Everything went according to plan,” she said.
“I ran a marathon last week, so I knew I would be tired, but I ran better than I expected. The weather was perfect for running today.”
Phalula, the reigning SPAR Grand Prix champion, said she had also enjoyed the race, although she was tired after running the 1500m at the national championships on Saturday.
Van Zyl leaves for London on Tuesday, where she hopes to qualify for the marathon in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.
“We’ll see what happens there,” she said.
“If I don’t make it, I’ll try to qualify in one of the track events.”
Phalula is heading for Port Elizabeth, where she will run in the 1500 and 5000 metre events at the Night Series meeting on Tuesday, hoping to qualify for the Olympics. Her twin sister, Diana-Lebo, missed the Cape Town race because she was running a marathon in the Netherlands, also aiming to qualify for Rio.
A record entry of 27 532 took part in the 10km race and the 5km Fun Run.
In a new innovation, the six women who have won the SPAR Grand Prix are all mentoring promising junior runners.
Rene Kalmer, who has won more Challenge titles than any other runner, said she was happy to be mentoring a younger runner.
“I chose Chery-Lee Schoeman, because she is at the school I used to teach at, and because I think she has a great future.
“I think it is working well, and I predict great things for her.”
Chery-Lee, who was first junior home in several 10km races last year, said she was learning a lot from Kalmer.
“We don’t actually train together, but she is always ready to give me advice and to help me if I have a problem,” she said.
The Cape Town Challenge is the first in the five-race SPAR Challenge series. The second race is in Port Elizabeth on May 5, to be followed in June by the Durban race. The Pretoria Challenge will be run in September, and the Johannesburg race in October.

RESULTSOFSPARWOMEN’S 10KMCHALLENGE - CAPETOWN

Open: 1 Irvette van Blerk (Nedbank CGA) 33.24; 2 Rutendo Nyahora (Nedbank CGA) 33.52; 3. Lebogang Phalula (Boxer) 34.00; 4 Onneile Dintwe (Nedbank CGA) 34.06; 5 Christine Kalmer (KPMG) 34.11; 6 Tish Jones (KPMG) 34.14; 7 Nolene Conrad (KPMG) 34.53; 8 Cornelia Joubert (Boxer) 34.57; 9 Janie Grundling (Boxer) 35.13; 10 Fortunate Chidzivo (Nedbank WP) 35.27
Junior: 1 Simonay Weitsz (KPMG) 35.39; 2 Ashleigh Simonis (Carbineers WP) 35.46; 3 Nicloe Der Merwe (KPMG) 36.32 ; 4 Yandiswa Shange (Yandiswa) 38.29 ; 5 Chery-lee Schoeman (KPMG) 40.16
40-49 Yrs: 1 Ulrica Stander (FNB Multisport) 37.46 ; 2 Theressa Fourie (Temp) 37.49; 3 Janene Carey (Boxer) 39.07; 4 Obertina Khayongo (WCAC) 40.04; 5 Suzette Vermaak (Temp) 40.27
50-59 Yrs: 1 Judy Bird (Temp) 39:43; 2 Elmarie Coetzee (FNB) 40.24; 3 Mariette Strauss (TygerbergNLC) 42.56; 4 Renee Scott (Temp) 43.37; 5 Bev Charters (VOB) 44.53
60-69 Yrs: 1 Margie Saunders (Temp) 42.30; 2 Nancy Will (Pinelands) 43.55; 3 Charmaine Cupido (Nedbank WP) 47.52; 4 Leonie Van Wyk (Temp) 58.57; 5 Seugnet Van Wyk (Temp) 59.20
70-79 Yrs: 1 Veronica Van Niekerk (Temp) 49.48; 2 Pixie Sparg (Celtic Harriers) 54.53; 3 Marlene James (Pinelands) 58.26; 4 Wilbe Fourie (Temp) 01.05.25; 5 Nola Wahl (Temp) 01.06.31

Cape Town, South Africa - Two-times Grand Prix winner Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) has taken the early lead in the 2016 SPAR Grand Prix, after cruising to victory in the Cape Town Women’s 10km Challenge at Green Point on Sunday.
Van Zyl, who is in Britain to run in the London Marathon on Sunday, has 20 points. Lebogang Phalula (Boxer), who finished third in the Cape Town Challenge on Sunday, has 18 and Christine Kalmer (KPMG) has 16.
In a new venture, the six women who have won the Grand Prix title in the 10 years it has been in existence are each mentoring a junior runner, and the mentorship programme is reaping early rewards, as the top five in the Grand Prix Junior category are all members of the programme.
Two of them, Simonay Weitsz (9) and Ashleigh Simonis (10), finished in the top ten overall, while Nicole van der Merwe was 15th. Simonay, who has Mapaseka Makhanya as her mentor, heads the Junior category in the Grand Prix, with 10 points. Ashleigh, who has been paired with Lebogang Phalula, has eight, and Nicole, who has Van Zyl as her adviser, has six points.
The top runners were full of praise for the SPAR Challenge series after their race on Sunday.
“SPAR has done so much for women’s road running,” said Van Zyl.
“When I won my first SPAR race in Pretoria 4 years ago there were only about 800 runners taking part – now there are thousands. These women inspire me to go out and train.”
Van Zyl said they all enjoyed running in a race that was all about women.
“In a mixed race, there are always men trying to stick with the leading women in the hopes of being seen on television, but the SPAR races are so different. It is wonderful to be the very first person to cross the finish line.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it had not been for SPAR,” said Van Zyl.
Lebogang Phalula, the reigning Grand Prix champion, said the Grand Prix had been crucial for her and for her twin sister, Diana-Lebo, who won the Grand Prix in 2014.
“My sister won a car, so we are able to get to training, and with the money I won last year, I was able to buy a house,” she said.
“Everyone wants to win the Grand Prix, and it certainly motivates us all to get out there and train.”
The next Challenge race is in Port Elizabeth on Saturday May 7.
SPARGRANDPRIXSTANDINGSAFTERCAPETOWN

Open: 1 Irvette Van Zyl (Nedbank) 20 points ; 2 Lebogang Phalula (Boxer) 18 ; 3 Christine Kalmer (KPMG) 16 ; 4 Nolene Conrad (KPMG) 14 ; 5 Cornelia Joubert (Boxer) 13 ; 6 Janie Grundling (Boxer) 12; 7 Keneilwe Sesing (KPMG) 10; 8 Rene Kalmer (Modern Athlete) 9; 9 Simonay Weitsz (KPMG) 8; 10 Ashleigh Simonis (Carbineers) 7;11 Murendwa Davhana (TUT) 6; 12 Thembi Baloyi (TUT) 5; 13 Liziwe Mabona (TUT) 4; 14 Ntombesintu Mfuzi (Temp) 3; 15 Nicole Van Der Merwe (KPMG) 2; 16 Poppy Mlambo (Boxer) 1
Junior: 1 Simonay Weitsz (KPMG) 10 points ; 2 Ashleigh Simonis (Carbineers) 9; 3 Nicole Van De Merwe (KPMG) 8; 4 Yandiswa Shange (Temp) 2; 5 Chery-Lee Schoeman (KPMG) 1
40-49 Yrs: 1 Ulrica Stander (FNB Multisport) 10 points; 2 Theresa Fourie (Temp) 9; 3 Janene Carey (Boxer) 3; 4 Obertina Kanyongo (WCAC) 2; 5 Suzette Vermaak (Temp) 1
50-55 Yrs: 1 Judy Bird (Midrand) 10 points ; 2 Elmarie Coetzee (FNB Multisport) 4; 3 Mariette Strauss (Tygerberg) 3; 4 Renee Scott (Temp) 2; 5 Bev Charters (VOB) 1
Clubs: 1 KPMG 69 points ; 2 Boxer 47; 3 Nedbank 33; 4 Carbineers 16; 5 TUT 15; 6 FNB Multisport 14; 7 Midrand 10

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - Nelson Mandela Bay may have served up some typically challenging weather, but the metro’s runners turned out in their thousands to tackle the 23rd SPAR Women’s Challenge at Pollok Beach on Saturday.

With Port Elizabeth comedian Gino Fabbri urging them on in his inimitable style, the participants’ spirits remained high as they lined up for the 10km and 5km events respectively.
Not even a gusting easterly wind and rain could dampen their fortitude as they emerged from a variety of sheltering spots for their runs.
The conditions meant a tough finish as the last two kilometres were into the teeth of the wind.
Johannesburg’s Irvette van Zyl, who is hoping to be selected for the Rio Olympics, outlasted her opponents in the 10km feature race to take her second Grand Prix Series victory of the year in 33:28.
She was followed by the Phalula sisters, who, in a display of spirit which typifies the SPAR races, came across the line arm-in-arm. Officially, Lebogang took silver in 34:09 with Diana-Lebo a further second behind.
Van Zyl, who had a baby last year, said she was particularly pleased to have won her first-ever SPAR race in the Windy City.
“The conditions weren’t that good, but I was very happy coming over that line. It was very special.
She said having a child had changed her focus.
“I think I’m more relaxed about my training. I take it as it comes and am not over-stressing as I used to do.
“I just break everything down into small periods, set my goals and then focus on what’s ahead of me.”
While Van Zyl was the talk of the day, plenty of grit and determination was shown across the running spectrum.
In the 5km, Sydenham’s Thuliswa Maka, 25, continued a remarkable run of having competed in every event since she was nine.
“I love this race. I have been running it for 15 years and every year I make the effort to enter.
“The ambience, the people and the vibe is so great that it really helps me and even the rain was nothing,” said Maka.
“I have a good selection of T-shirts from all the colours over the years and next year I will be doing it again.”
Lorraine’s Nikita Drury, who ran the 10km, said it was “an awesome experience”.
“The conditions were pretty tough, especially the last two kilometres, but it is always such a nice race,” said the 24-year-old.
Parkside’s Toegeda Vyver, who completed the 10km in 47 minutes, echoed the thoughts of her 9 000 fellow competitors.
“I would never miss it, whatever the conditions. The spirit of the race is still there.”
Garth Taylor, who performed live to a soaked but enthusiastic audience, shouted “don’t worry about the rain, you’re already wet” as he pointed the microphone to them to complete a line from a well-known hit.
SPAR Eastern Cape marketing director Abri Swart paid tribute to the participants.
“Women are the glue that keeps the community together,” he said, “and this event is to show what deep respect we have for the women in the community.”
He said it served to introduce women to the sport and a healthy lifestyle at the one end of the scale, while on the other it was a platform for the country’s top runners to compete at the highest level.
Swart confirmed SPAR’s additional contribution to the community, with R150 000 of the proceeds being donated to the Northwood Children’s Hospice and R100 000 to the Association for the Physically Disabled.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - With back-to-back SPAR 10km Challenge victories under her belt, Irvette van Zyl has a slender lead on the Grand Prix points table after the second race in the five race series.
Van Zyl who won the Cape Town and Port Elizabeth races, has 40 points. She is followed closely by the defending champion, Lebogang Phalula, who has 37 points, after finishing third in Cape Town and second in Port Elizabeth. Christine Kalmer and Nolene Conrad are in joint third position, with 29 points. Kalmer was fifth in Cape Town and eighth in Port Elizabeth, while Conrad was seventh and sixth in the two races.
Van Zyl, who won the Grand Prix in 2010 and 2011, said she was pleased to be in the lead, but there was a lot of work to do.
“I haven’t been able to break my last year’s time to get bonus points,” she said.
“The conditions in Port Elizabeth were against recording a fast time, and I had run the London Marathon two weeks before the race. I think we have all been focusing on other events – the SA championships were just before the Cape Town race, and several of us ran marathons shortly before the Port Elizabeth race,” said Van Zyl.
“A lot of us have been trying to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio, either on track or on the road. But I think it will be very exciting when we run in Durban, because we will all have had a break, and things will be more even. I think that is where we will all be trying to break last years times and get that crucial advantage in the Grand Prix.”
Three of the junior runners who are being mentored by the six Grand Prix winners are among the top 20 in the open category on the Grand Prix ladder.She also heads the junior category, with 20 points. Ashleigh Simonis, who has been partnered with Lebogang Phalula, is in 13th place, with seven points, and Chery-Lee, who is being mentored by three times Grand Prix winner Rene Kalmer, is in 18th place, with four points. Simonis and Van der Merwe are in joint second position on the junior ladder, with 187 points each.
KPMG heads the club standings, with 139 points, followed by Boxer with 121 and Nedbank with 77.
The next race is in Durban on June 5.

Ends

Port Elizabeth, South Africa – Sonja Laxton, who has been breaking records on the track and on the road almost all her life, set another record on Saturday when she ran her 90th SPAR 10km Challenge.
What makes her achievement even more remarkable is that two and a half years ago, Laxton was in intensive care, fighting for her life, after a horrific accident in which she suffered multiple fractures. At the time, it was thought she might never walk again, let alone run.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Laxton, who was the third Grandmaster home, in 49.43 minutes.
“The wind was really pumping, but I really enjoyed the race. The Port Elizabeth race is always special to me. I was at school here, and I had some very happy years in PE. I am very biased towards the Friendly City – I even feel I breathe better here than in Cape Town or Durban, although they are all at sea level.
“The first race I ran after my accident was in Port Elizabeth, so that was also something special.”
Laxton said it seemed a very short time ago that she had run her 80th SPAR race at the Wanderers in 2013.
“It goes quite fast,” she said.
“I would like to go on to get my century – I feel like a cricketer, in the nervous nineties. But if I run four or five races a year, I should get there.”
There was a time when Laxton was always the top runner in her category, but she has slowed down in the last couple of years, and can no longer claim to be the fastest in her age group.
“That doesn’t worry me,” she said.
“I think it might have, before the accident. But my perspective has changed since then, and I just feel privileged to be able to run. I certainly hope to keep on running as long as I can.”

Cape Town, South Africa - There is an air of excitement ahead of the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge in Cape Town on Sunday morning.
Most of South Africa’s top female roadrunners will be taking part in the race, which starts at the Cape Town Stadium and ends at Greenpoint Common. The standard is expected to be very high, with many of the top runners trying to qualify for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. The SPAR Grand Prix champion in 2014, Diana-Lebo Phalula will be in the Netherlands, where she hopes to qualify for the marathon, while last year’s Cape Town winner, Mapaseka Makhanya, has withdrawn for personal reasons.
However, runners of the calibre of former Cape Town winners Rutando Nyahora and Rene Kalmer, as well as Kalmer’s sister Christine, Phalula’s twin, Lebogang, and Jenna Challenor will be fighting it out for top honours. Irvette van Zyl, who won the Two Oceans half marathon in March, appears to be back at full strength after giving birth to a son in September, and many predict that this could be Van Zyl’s year.
In addition to trying to win the Cape Town race, which is the first in the five-race Challenge series, the top runners will be striving to win valuable Grand Prix points. The Grand Prix is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and with prize money totalling more than R400 000 rand, there is plenty of incentive for runners to do well. The Grand Prix winner will take home R160 000 and the runner-up will receive R53 000.
In an exciting new development, the six women who have won the Grand Prix title, will each take a junior athlete under her wing. This mentorship programme will include the junior runners travelling to the races with their mentors, and having access to advice about training, strategy and various aspects of competition.
The six juniors who have been selected for the programme are no strangers to the SPAR Challenge series and include the three who took top honours in the junior category of the Grand Prix last year.
Kalmer, who has won the Grand Prix title three times, has been paired with Chery-Lee Schoeman, who represents Gauteng in track and cross-country. In 2015, Chery-Lee was first junior home in several 10km road races, including the Northgate 10km, where she was third overall in 38.44 minutes.
Two times Grand Prix winner Van Zyl will mentor Nicole van der Merwe, who won the junior Grand Prix title last year. Van der Merwe has represented South Africa in cross-country and has an impressive personal best time of 34.52. She was first junior home in the Durban Challenge race last year.
Simonay Weitsz, who boasts eight national athletic titles, and who has represented South Africa in athletics and cross-country, has been paired with Mapaseka Makhanya. Simonay was first junior home in the Challenge race in Port Elizabeth last year, and was second in Durban.
Lebohang Ramela was handpicked by her mentor, the inaugural Grand Prix winner, Poppy Mlambo, who says her protégé is a future star. Lebohang excelled at the South African schools championships, and won three 5km races in 2015, including the Totalsports 5km, in a record time of 17.16 minutes.
Diana-Lebo Phalula will mentor Tuks High School pupil Keletso Senosi, another young runner who has excelled in track and cross-country. She won gold at the AGN 10km Championships, and was one of the stars of the SA Schools Track and Field championships.
Lebogang Phalula has been paired with up and coming Ashleigh Simonis of the Western Cape..
SPAR has announced that there will be a cash incentive for the combination that do best over the five races, with their top three performances taken into consideration.
Kalmer, who has won more Challenge races than any other runner, said she was very excited about the mentorship programme.
“I think it’s awesome that we are going to mentor some of the junior runners,” she said.
“I feel privileged to be able to give something back.”
She said the junior runners would find that running was not always plain sailing, but their mentors would be there to help them through the bad patches.
“The juniors will travel to the SPAR races with us, so we will be able to advise them and to help them with training programmes and race tactics. I think we will be like a helpline for the juniors. It is all part of building for the future,” said Kalmer.