Masters Athletics

JOHANNESBURG, CITY OF GOLD, (SOUTH AFRICA)   A WORLD CLASS AFRICAN CITY   to bid for the hosting of the World Masters Athletics Championships in 2018 or 2020.  The city has the infrastructure – stadiums, transport, and accommodation to host the championships which takes place over a fortnight.   The first World Masters Athletics Championships took place in 1975, and since then have been held every 2 nd  year.    The number of participants are only second to the Olympic Games and have in the past ranged from 3000 – 7000 athletes coming from approx. 90 countries, representing all walks of life – from the social athlete to the highly competitive.    These championships give athletes the opportunity to meet like-minded athletes from all over the world and rub shoulders with past Olympians.    Track and Field events for masters consist of all the usual Olympic track and field events. Women also participate in such events as steeplechase and pole vault. To

South Africa boasts a huge talent of middle distance runners, especially in the 800m.   Masters athletes have been no exception.   The next World Masters Athletics Championships will be held in Lyon, France in August 2015 and masters athletes all over the country have set their sights on an experience of a lifetime. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrPT8-koetI4F2sXHQ5r_Q _

Vying to be the next  Ed Burke  (throwing hammer records into his 70s), Olympian  Jud Logan  set an M55 world record Sunday in an Ashland Masters Series meet in Ohio. YouTube video shows him smashing the listed HT record of 63.70 (208-11 3/4) several times, topped by a monster 67.27 (220-8 1/4). Haven’t seen results posted. But the USATF calendar shows  it to be a sanctioned event — with Jud himself as the meet contact. No surprise on the WR, though. Jud set the M50 WR of 71.71 in 2009. The listed M55 WR was by Austria’s  Hans Pötsch.   Chuck Greene  reports: “Jud celebrated his entry into the 55-59 bracket with a World-Record hammer throw in excess of 67 meters! The event (and performance) was highly anticipated. On hand for the festivities were USATF officials  Jim  and  Kathy Whettenhall ; they brought along two steel tapes!” http://masterstrack.com/2014/09/32037/

  Two World Records in Day 2 of the OMA Championships June 28, 2014  OMA (V)P   W60 Karla Del Grande   ran 13.66 in the 100m at the first day of the track events at the Ontario Masters Championships at Varsity Stadium in Toronto. She beat the existing W60 World Record of 13.75 held by Ingrid Meier GER set in 2008.    he then ran 65.95 in the 400m – breaking her own WR of 66.24 set last year at the Worlds in Brazil.     Two more World Records at Day 3 of the Championships June 29, 2014  W80 Alice Cole , a guest from Montreal, ran 3:43.62 in the 800m – breaking the WR of 3:45.00 held by a Russian athlete, set in 2005 at the Worlds in Donostia, Spain. M85 Earl Fee   ran the 800m in 3:15.15 – breaking the WR of 3:17.45 held by a Brazilian, set last year.

SOUTH AFRICAN MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS  25-26 APRIL 2014 A special congratulations to Liz Ruickbie (67) who participated in the Ladies 65-69  -  5000m at the CGMA championships on 12 April and at the S.A. Championships, as well as in the 10000m.  She broke the 21 year old national record in the 5000m twice in 2 weeks – first, in a magnificent time of 22.43,88 and then again at the SA Masters Championships on the Friday in a time of 22:43,0 followed by another magnificent run the following morning in the 10000m in a new South African record time of 44:50.18 smashing the 10 year old record with a massive 8 secs. Liz, who won the W.60 Marathon event at the World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland in 2009 in a time of 3:32 and has a personal best time of 3:28 at age 62 and a pb of 1:38 in the half marathon, has entered to run the Berlin Marathon in September.   We wish this talented athlete, who only started her competitive running career at a late age, everything of

Approximately 400 athletes from the 11 athletic provinces of South Africa will converge on Rustenburg in the Northwest North Province  on 25 & 26 April 2014 at the world class stadium, Royal Bafokeng Stadium .   Miracle Magnesium, the new sponsors of the championships, and the local organising committee of Northwest North Athletics, hope to host one of the best national championships.  We welcome Shaaron Sellars (javelin) from the USA, Raj Rathedi (800m) from Botswana and Richard John (decathlon) from Zimbabwe and any other visitors to our champs! Its pleasing to see the number of  'young' masters in the 30-40 age groups that have been turning out at masters championships, while past-Olympian Adri Schoeman will surely set the scene for some excellent times in the ladies sprints.  Shaun Bownes who took the title of the Mens 40 - 60m hurdles at the recent World Indoors in Budapest will be looking at bettering the S.A. record in the M.40 - 110m hurdles once again.

SHAUN TAKES GOLD, WINNING THE 60M HURDLES IN FINE STYLE  AT THE WORLD MASTERS INDOORS ! WELL DONE, SHAUN ! YOU HAVE DONE SOUTH AFRICA PROUD ! Event 283 M40 60 Meter Hurdles ================================== Name  Age Team Finals ================================== Finals 1 Bownes, Shaun M43 South Africa 8,12 2 Drummond, Don M44 United State 8,19 3 Appiah, Joe M43 Great Britai 8,21 4 Keller, Thomas M40 Switzerland 8,37 5 Simoes, Herbert M43 Brazil 8,44 6 Vandecasteele, Francky M40 France 8,63 7 Malkiewicz, Krzysztof M40 Poland 9,00 -- Dobrydniev, Volodymyr M44 Ukraine DNF Shaun Bownes on his way to victory !

With 10 days to go a small contingent of Masters athletes (12) are finalising their training  for the World Indoors 25-30 March 2014 in Budapest, Hungary,  http://budapest2014.hu/ Some of them competed at the weekend in the Gauteng North Masters Championships, where Shaun Bownes showed his form when he won the Mens 40-44 in the 110m hurdles in a new S.A. age group record of 14,50.  He bettered the current record held by Wessel Bosman (14,70).   Shaun has his work cut out for him at the Indoors when he comes up against Don Drummond (USA) who has a SB of 7,99 and Joe Appiah (GB) who has a SB of 8,12.   The current world indoor age group record is held by Vincent Clarico (FRA) in a time of 7,85.     We wish him and his fellow-athletes everything of the best for their events at the indoors.   For some it will be a new experience.   Make sure you follow the results on the link, http://budapest2014.hu/ Athletes competing will be ·          Shaun Bownes (43) 60m hur

World class hurdler, Shaun Bownes (43) will spearhead a small contingent of  12 masters athletes to the World Indoors Championships, http://budapest2014.hu/  later this month.  For most of the team members, comprising of 9 men and 3 women (age groups 40 – 80), it will be a first time experience, and will be featured during March. Shaun Bownes (43), one of SA’s best ever hurdlers over 110m, will have his sights set on the title in the 60m Hurdles at the World Masters Indoors Championships to be held from 25-30 March 2014, in Budapest, Hungary. He will be competing at the Gauteng North Masters Championships on 8 March at Pilditch in the 110m hurdles, but will be racing in the 60m hurdles at the World Masters Indoors. As a senior and world class hurdler, he ran an Outdoor PB of 13,26 in July 2001 and has the following PB in the Indoors circuit PERFORMANCE WIND PLACE DATE 50 Metres Hurdles 6.48 Liévin 25 FEB 2