SA TEAM NAMED FOR REGIONAL CHAMPS

Joel Mmone, seen here after winning the MTN 21km race in 2014, will form part of the SA men’s team

A nine-member national squad has been selected for the Southern Region Half-Marathon Championships in Madagascar on Sunday.

The team for this weekend’s regional showpiece, announced by Athletics SA (ASA) on Tuesday, would be led by David Manja who clocked 1:02:15 to earn the silver medal behind Stephen Mokoka at last month’s national 21km championships in Port Elizabeth.

He would be joined in the men’s race by Phillimon Mathiba, Joel Mmone, Abednego Mashaba and 21-year-old Thabang Mosiako.

Jenet Dlamini, who was the fourth SA woman across the line in PE in 1:15:44, would spearhead a squad backed by Ntombesintu Mfunzi, Liziwe Mabona and Kataza Shipalana.

The team’s participation, according to ASA, would form part of a four-year process to develop a national squad for the 42km race at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“The team is part of ASA’s programme to identify new marathon athletes to participate at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, leading to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games,” the federation’s excellence manager (high-performance co-ordinator) Hezekiel Sepeng told members in a notice on Tuesday.
SA team, Southern Region Half-Marathon Championships, Madagascar (4 September, 2016):

Men: David Manja, Phillimon Mathiba, Joel Mmone, Abednego Mashaba, Thabang Mosiako

Women: Jenet Dlamini, Ntombesintu Mfunzi, Liziwe Mabona, Kataza Shipalana