The 3000m Men’s race sees many of the athletes who raced in the 1500m at the inaugural Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix Series Meeting in Ruimsig last Thursday return to do battle again tomorrow (Thursday, 08 March 2018).
The 1500m was won by the World Junior champion, George Manangoi who will not be in the field.
Joshua Cheptegei will feel a lot more comfortable in the 3000m race than he did in the 1500m in the first leg Meeting last week, where he finished 7th (3:43.15). Cheptegei makes no secret that he prefers the longer races (he boasts a best of 7:34.96 from 1 July 2017 in Paris) and will be a much more difficult prospect at Tuks. This will only be his second 3000m ever run, which makes his time all the more daunting.
Dumisane Hlaselo has dipped under 8 minutes for the 3000m once before, clocking 7:59.31 in 2015 at the ASA National Championships on 15 April. Hlaselo is the South African National 1500m champion from 2017 and will feel that he did not perform at his best after finishing 9th in the 1500m at Ruimsig last week.
Jerry Motsau was 6th at Ruimsig, clocking 3:42.74 in the 1500m. He has already run one 3000m this year, recording an 8:28.10 in Potchefstroom on 30 January. He has a best of 8:02.20 which he ran on 19 March 2013 also in Potchefstroom.
Nkosinathi Sibiya surprised many when he was the first South African home in the 1500m at the first Series Meeting at Ruimsig last week. He finished third, running 3:41.65. Sibiya has run a 5000m (PB 14:49.58 in Mangaung on 7 May 2015) but not yet a 3000m, so this will be new ground for the 24-year-old.
Abel Sikowo, Cheptegei’s training partner, will be very unhappy with his 3:52.00 achieved time last week in the 1500m which resulted in a 13th place. With a best of 8:01.75 in the 3000m this may well be his preferred distance. He clocked that time in Oordegem on 3 June 2017.
Ronald Musagala had to settle for second behind George Manangoi in the 1500m last week. Musagala has never run a 3000m before but has a best of 13:24.41 behind his name which he ran in Nijmegen on 27 May 2015.
Ryan Mphahlele is fast making a name for himself in South Africa over the 1500m. The 20-year-old showed no fear of or respect to the big names in the 1500m Men’s on 01 March, racing close to the front for the entire race. He was narrowly beaten into 4th, crossing the line in 3:41.69 – his third Personal Best in as many weeks in the 1500m. Mphahlele has never run beyond the mile, so this will be new territory for him, but as he is deep in Cross Country training, he will in all likelihood be mixing it up at the front again.
Folavio Sehole boasts a 3000m best of 8:05.64, run on 9 June 2012. The 27-year-old focuses mainly on the 1500m, his best being a 3:39.41 from 2013 (Stellenbosch, 13 April). He was beaten into third at the CGA Championships by Mphahlele and Hlaselo in the 1500m (3:47.34) but brought his time down to 3:44.91 at Roodepoort finish 5th.
EVENT INFORMATION: Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix Series
The Liquid Telecom Athletix Grand Prix is more than just a show, it enables athletes the opportunity to compete against South African and global talent; for them to be nurtured and invested in, so that they have the potential of becoming green and gold medalists.
Dates and Venues:
| 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.
Visit the event’s Facebook page for regular announcements!
Facebook: AthletixGrandPrix
Twitter: @AthletixGP
Website: www.athletixgrandprix.com
ABOUT LIQUID TELECOM
Liquid Telecom is a leading communications services and solutions provider across 13 countries in Eastern, central and Southern Africa that serves carrier, enterprise and retail customers with high-speed, reliable connectivity and digital services.
It has built Africa’s largest independent fibre network, spanning over 50,000km, and operates state-of-the-art data centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Nairobi, with a combined 6,800 square meters of rack space.
This is in addition to leading cloud-based services, such as Microsoft Office365 and Microsoft Azure, and innovative digital content provision, including Netflix, NBA, TED and Kwese Play.
Through this combined offering, Liquid Telecom is enhancing customers’ experience on their digital journey.
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 Race Walking) in South Africa, which is a member of the IAAF, and the Confederation of African Athletics. The association is based in Johannesburg.