Ndubueze and Sampson star on opening day of t+f grand final

Day one of the Track+Field grand final got off to a glittering start at the University of Johannesburg Athletics Stadium yesterday (April 10) as many of the country's top high school track and field athletes showcased their talent in the last leg of the series. Newly crowned Athletics South Africa U18 100m and long jump champion Oluchi Ndubueze of Rand Park High School opened her account with a comfortable win in the U17 girls long jump, with a leap of 6.04m.

Ndubueze was a class above the rest as no other athlete on the field went over 5m. And the contest ended up being between her and the pit. She opened with 5.99m before jumping 5.85m in her second attempt. She continued to flirt with the 5.9m until the crowd came to her aid in the last jump. Before her run-up, the supportive crowd played a key role in helping the 16-year old achieve her goal. Their rhythmic clapping was a source of motivation for Ndubueze, helping her push herself to the limit and she ultimately went over 6m to win the contest.

Ndubueze leaping to beyond 6m in the colours of Randpark High School. Photo Credit: Lebogang Pita.

"I came here with the aim to get 6m and I got it. That's all I wanted. I'm really grateful. I couldn't have been here without the support of my family and friends. I just wanted to get points for my school," she told #TheTopRunner.

The boys long jump competition produced some sensational jumps as six athletes went over 6m but in the end; Hilton College's Tom Gurupira won it with 6.98m, beating Barkley East High's Devan de Klerk, who settled for second with a jump of 6.84m.

The U19 men's 200m produced a thrilling contest as Hoerskool Stellenbosch's Ajay Sampson bursting the tape in a fast 21.35 for victory. Morne Engelbrecht of Hilton took second in 21.56 while Joshua Jordan of Queens College settled for third in 21.70. "It's not at all events where you can run fast times. Today was a good day. I'm grateful," said Sampson.

Carise van Rooyen dominated the U19 Girls 800m race. Photo Credit: Cecilia van Bers.

At the back end of the programme, Lee-Hanro Arendse of Stellies won a thrilling U19 boys' 800m in 1:55.18, beating Sisanda Ntuli of Tuks Sport High by 0.8 seconds. Carise van Rooyen of Bethlehem Voortrekker Hoerskool won the girls' two lap event in an impressive 2:07.93. Elsewhere, Caleb Sweetnam of Maritzburg College threw a massive 45.18m to win the U17 boys' javelin while Zelda Barnard won the U19 girls' javelin with 26.82m. Zander Vorster and Juhin Muller were the only athletes to throw over 13m in the U19 boys' shot put. Vorster tossed 13.64m to win with Muller second with 13.60m. Cloe Mabitle won the girls' event with a throw of 10.40m.

At the end of day one, Voortekker led the overall girls' team standings with 296 points while Hoerskool Stellenbosch leads the boys' category with 293 points. The action continues today.