Montsho to compete at SA Open Championships - Printable Version +- Running Information Forums (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums) +-- Forum: Country and General Discussion (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums/Forum-Country-and-General-Discussion) +--- Forum: South Africa (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums/Forum-South-Africa) +---- Forum: Pre-event (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums/Forum-Pre-event) +---- Thread: Montsho to compete at SA Open Championships (/Thread-Montsho-to-compete-at-SA-Open-Championships)

Montsho to compete at SA Open Championships - TheEd - 03-05-2012 The women’s 400m reigning World Champion, Amantle Montsho (Botswana), is amongst the athletes in the line-up to compete in the SA Open Championships taking place in Pretoria from 4-5 May. The 28-year-old holds the Botswana national women’s 400m record after her 49.56sec victory in Daegu at the World Championships on 29 August 2011. She also won the title at the All Africa Games in 2011 and the year before the Commonwealth Games and Africa Championships in her speciality event. No local female athletes have ever broken the 50sec barrier in the history of athletics in South Africa. Having only run one 400m race in 2012, Montsho’s season best of 50.94sec is still faster than Tsholofelo Thipe’s fastest time. Thipe (ACNW) is currently the fastest woman in South Africa having clocked a 51.52sec, an A-standard Olympic Qualifying time, on 5 April. Justine Palframan (KZN) holds the SA Junior as well as SA Senior Champion title due to the absence of Thipe and Rorisang Rammonye in the 400m at the SA Senior Championships. Palframan clocked a personal best by over a second at the National Championships, winning the race in 52.33sec. Rorisang Ramonnye will make a comeback after a suspected hamstring injury kept her off the track for weeks. Rammonye’s last 400m was at Yellow Pages II in Potchefstroom (24 March) where she clocked 51.61sec, a personal best. Sonja van der Merwe (WPA) will compete in the event with a best of 52.75sec, run in Pretoria on 5 April. Athletes from 19 different countries will be competing at the SA Open Championships at Pilditch Stadium. Other than South Africa, countries include Austria, Botswana, Germany, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Portugal, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swazilang, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Three additional athletes from Botswana, Sudan and Swaziland will compete in the women’s 400m race.