SA's Rio relay team hits a speed wobble

24 June 2016 - 09:35 By DAVID ISAACSON

World 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk tonight faces the impossible task of resuscitating South Africa's dream of an Olympic relay medal. The injury-hit 4x100m outfit finished second in their heat in 40.04sec in the African Championships in Durban last night, more than half-a-second slower than the 39.44 the SA student team managed at the World University Games in South Korea last year.Even with Van Niekerk and 100m national record-holder Akani Simbine likely to bolster the lineup in tonight's final, they will have to go two seconds faster.Van Niekerk was included in the six-man relay squad although the team last night consisted of Antonio Alkana, Clarence Munyai, Gift Leotlela and Emile Erasmus.Tonight the team needs to clock a minimum of 38.06 - substantially faster than the 38.35 South Africa achieved in 2014 - to even have a sniff of getting to Rio. It would place them 26th on the all-time world list.That would give them an average time of 38.75sec - relay qualification depends on the average of a team's two best times since May 1 last year - and that is assuming no other nations go faster before the July 11 deadline.There was no shortage of success for South Africa in other codes, however, with Ruswahl Samaai sailing to victory in the long jump with 8.40m; Claudia Heunis winning the women's hurdles; Victor Hogan capturing his third consecutive discus crown; and Friedriech Pretorius taking the decathlon.So far the hosts have bagged six of the 11 gold medals after the first two days.Samaai was particularly impressive in the way he responded in the heat of battle. He took the lead in the opening round when he floated to 8.20m but compatriot Luvo Manyonga overhauled him with efforts of 8.21m and then 8.23.And that is when Samaai, on his third attempt, produced that massive leap that exceeded his 8.38m personal best, although it was negated by excessive wind."I love competition. I live for competition," said a smiling Samaai. "I've to push myself every single time. I'm here to write my name in the history books."The country's athletes are flying but the administrators are fumbling in the dark, as evidenced by the crumbling relay.They can say what they like but Athletics SA and the SA Olympic Committee have effectively let a potential Games gong slip through their fingers...

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