A field of nine women will line up in the 800m at the first of Athletix Grand Prix Meeting in Ruimsig on Thursday, 01 March. Below are some of the athletes who are expected to be in the mix for line honours.
Winnie Nanyondo of Uganda looks to be the race favourite with an 800m best of 1:58.63 which she ran in Monaco in 2014. Nanyondo is the Commonwealth Games 800m bronze medallist from 2014 and with a best of 53.72sec in the 400m, Nanyondo has the fastest half lap time in the field.
Halimah Nakaayi has experienced both the World Championships (2017) and the Olympic Games (2016) and will have learned how to handle pressure situations. Her 1:59.78 is the second fastest 800m time in the field and her 53.02 PB for the 400m shows that there is good speed in her legs, even though that time was run at home in Kampala, Uganda at altitude.
Gena Löfstrand the former South African champion likes to front run and is not averse to taking the pace out upfront, something she did to great effect at the World Championships in London in 2017 in the first round. Her aggression paid off and she went through the bell leading the field, clocking 58.71sec. She was passed by six other athletes, but had done enough to make sure she ran a fast enough time to get to the semi-finals. Rest assured, Löfstrand will once again take the race out hard. She could well cause a bit of an upset.
Other athletes in the field to take note of are 18-year-old Vimbayi Maisvoreva from Zimbabwe who competed at the World U18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017, Tsepang Sello from Lesotho and Liza Kellerman who as a 16-year-old ran 2:05.75 which placed her 12th in the U18 world rankings in 2016. Just like country woman, Gena Löfstrand, Liza Kellerman likes to front run. The two could well combine to set a fast pace.
EVENT INFORMATION: Athletix Grand Prix Series
Dates and Venues:
| Thursday, 01 March 2018 | Ruimsig Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Thursday, 08 March 2018 | Tuks Stadium, Tshwane |
| Thursday, 22 March 2018 | Dal Josaphat Stadium, Paarl |
Ticket Prices:
Main Pavilion Tickets
| Standard Ticket: | R 100 each |
| Children under 16 years of age: | R 50 each |
Open Stand/Grass Banks
| Standard Ticket: | R 50 each |
| Children under 16 years of age: | R 50 each |
ONLINE TICKET SALES are open and can be purchased via www.webtickets.co.za
Tickets can also be purchased at the gate of each event.
Additional big names that will be seen in action in March includes: Justin Gatlin, Joshua Cheptegei, Anaso Jobodwana, Retshidisitswe Mlenga, Caster Semenya, Clarence Munyai, Trentavis Friday, Justin Walker, Julius Yego, Ronald Musagala, Ruswahl Samaai and Dominique Scott.
Visit the event’s Facebook page for daily announcements!
Facebook: AthletixGrandPrix
Twitter: @AthletixGP
Website: www.athletixgrandprix.com
About Athletics South Africa:
Athletics South Africa (ASA) is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including track and field, cross country, road running and racewalking) in South Africa, recognised by the IAAF, and also a member of Confederation of African Athletics. The association is based in Johannesburg.