31-05-2012, 03:46 PM
Thursday, 31 May 2012 ââ¬â Tsholofelo Thipe is one of four South African athletes at the Meeting de Marseille in France who needs just a single good performance in order to qualify for the Olympic Games.
Thipe will compete in the 400m tonight in the second race of her European campaign. The 25-year-old originally achieved the qualifying standard in the 400m (51.55sec) at the Yellow Pages Interclub in Pretoria on 5 April, where she clocked 51.52sec. She repeated the performance a month later at the SA Open Championships in Pretoria, clocking 51.47sec. Rorisang Ramonnye will line up in the same race with Thipe, hoping to reach the A-standard for the first time after just missing the required time repeatedly. Ramonnyeââ¬â¢s best this season is 51.61sec, ran in Potchefstroom on 24 March. She also struggled with injury during the domestic season before making a return at the SA Open Championships on 4 May.
Thuso Mpuang will not only compete in the 100m tonight, but also in the 200m where he will be looking for 20.55sec in order to officially qualify for the Olympics. Mpuang clocked 20.50sec in Potchefstroom on 24 March. He will be joined by Waide Jooste and Hannes Dreyer in both events.
Johan Cronje and Juan van Deventer will line up in the menââ¬â¢s 1500m - a race that could become one of the highlights of the evening should conditions permit. Both athletes are on top form with Cronje reaching his first Olympic A-Qualifier of the season in Dessau, Germany on 25 May. The FBK Games in Hengelo on 27 May saw Van Deventer missing out on his first Olympic A-Qualifier by clocking 3:35.55; a mere 5/100th short of the required time. 3:35.50 will therefore be the time these athletes will be pursuing.
Other athletes in action tonight is Janice Josephs in the womenââ¬â¢s long jump, Ruan de Vries in the menââ¬â¢s 110m hurdles, Zarck Visser in the menââ¬â¢s long jump and Ofentse Mogawane in the menââ¬â¢s 400m.
Thipe will compete in the 400m tonight in the second race of her European campaign. The 25-year-old originally achieved the qualifying standard in the 400m (51.55sec) at the Yellow Pages Interclub in Pretoria on 5 April, where she clocked 51.52sec. She repeated the performance a month later at the SA Open Championships in Pretoria, clocking 51.47sec. Rorisang Ramonnye will line up in the same race with Thipe, hoping to reach the A-standard for the first time after just missing the required time repeatedly. Ramonnyeââ¬â¢s best this season is 51.61sec, ran in Potchefstroom on 24 March. She also struggled with injury during the domestic season before making a return at the SA Open Championships on 4 May.
Thuso Mpuang will not only compete in the 100m tonight, but also in the 200m where he will be looking for 20.55sec in order to officially qualify for the Olympics. Mpuang clocked 20.50sec in Potchefstroom on 24 March. He will be joined by Waide Jooste and Hannes Dreyer in both events.
Johan Cronje and Juan van Deventer will line up in the menââ¬â¢s 1500m - a race that could become one of the highlights of the evening should conditions permit. Both athletes are on top form with Cronje reaching his first Olympic A-Qualifier of the season in Dessau, Germany on 25 May. The FBK Games in Hengelo on 27 May saw Van Deventer missing out on his first Olympic A-Qualifier by clocking 3:35.55; a mere 5/100th short of the required time. 3:35.50 will therefore be the time these athletes will be pursuing.
Other athletes in action tonight is Janice Josephs in the womenââ¬â¢s long jump, Ruan de Vries in the menââ¬â¢s 110m hurdles, Zarck Visser in the menââ¬â¢s long jump and Ofentse Mogawane in the menââ¬â¢s 400m.