Matrics on board for Rio

29 July 2016 - 09:25 By DAVID ISAACSON

Matric pupil Gift Leotlela, the youngest athlete in the South African Olympic team, says his fourth place in the 100m at the recent world junior championships inspired him to silver in the 200m. "I was really broken," Leotlela said yesterday at a farewell function by Tuks Sport, which claims 30 of the country's 137 Olympians across six sports, as well as seven coaches.Leotlela clocked 10.20sec in the 100m semifinals in Bydgoszca, Poland, but slowed to 10.28 in the final, just two-hundredths of a second behind the bronze medallist. His semifinal time would have won him silver."My expectations were so high I didn't have room for disappointment. The 100m is quick - one mistake and it's over. I didn't run my own race, I was trying too hard," said the sprinter, who grew up in QwaQwa and started high school in Bloemfontein."If I didn't come fourth in the 100m I don't think I would have got that medal in the 200m," added Leotlela.But "it took a while", he admitted."Even the next day my legs were so tired I couldn't run [well in the 200m heats]."He ran 20.58 in the semifinals and then came second in the final in 20.59, where fellow Tuks pupil Clarence Munyai, who has a faster personal best, ended fourth in 20.77."I was too nervous for the final," said Munyai, who is three months older than Leotlela. "I was disappointed."He had recorded 20.54 in the semifinals.Both schoolboys are aiming to make the 200m semifinals at the Rio Games, but Munyai is targeting a time."My hope is to get the South African junior record - 20.16 by Riaan Dempers."The pair said they were surprised by their inclusion in the Olympic team."I thought I was too young," said Munyai.Leotlela's inclusion was marred by controversy - not of his own making - because of his inclusion on the 200m roster in place of Akani Simbine."I didn't even expect I was going to be in the team," said Leotlela, the second-youngest of the Rio-bound team behind Banyana player Linda Motlhalo...

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