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Mulaudzi and Thipe Star at the SA Champs
All in all four athletes reached the tough IAAF A qualifying standards for the World Championships in Berlin in August while 17 reached the B standard to make the Senior Championships one of the best in a long time.
Mulaudzi (CGA) proved that he is ready for the tough international circuit ahead when he blitzed around the track to record one of the fastest times in the country for a long time of 1:44, 81 in the 800 metres to reach the IAAF A qualifying standard.
Northwest North's Thipe first won the 100 metres convincingly in a B qualifying time of 11,36 secs and followed this up an hour later with a runaway win in the 400 metres in an career best A qualifying time of 51,15 secs - the seventh best time on the all-time list.
Two of the other highlights on the second day were the new SA record of 8:16, 04 by Ruben Ramolefe (CGA) in the 3000m steeplechase and Simon Makgakwe's (ANWN) A qualifier of 10, 21 secs in the 100 metres.
Mulaudzi dominated the 800 metres race and his opponents had no answer to his power running. In the process he drew young Andre Olivier to a career best 1:45, 41 (a B qualifier) in second place.
Old warhorse Hezekiel Sepeng, on the comeback trail, made his intentions clear for later in the year when he came home third also in a B qualifier of 1:46, 38. The wily Sepeng was out of competition for a long period but is determined to realize his aim of another crack at the World Championships.
Johan Cronje proved that he was the man for the big moment when he outsprinted favourite Juan van Deventer in the 1500 metres to win in a B qualifier of 3:36, 48 to Van Deventer's 3:36, 58.
Newcomer Pharson Magagane (Limpopo) provided the surprise in third place in a career best 3:37, 79 with Peter van der Westhuizen (CGA) fourth in 3:38, 55 - both B qualifying times.
The 400m hurdles for women provided one of the exciting tussles of the Championships between Boland's Janet Wienand, and Gauteng North's Wenda Thewron.
Theron, who is improving race by race, challenged her more experienced opponent to the line to record a career best 56, 45 secs - the 10th fastest time by a South African woman. Wienand clocked 56, 23 secs and both reached the IAAF B standard.
In the javelin for men Robert Oosthuizen recorded a B qualifying distance of 80,70m while Sunette Viljoen achieved the same standard in the women's javelin with her distance of 59,52m.
Pieter Smith underlined his potential in the 400 metres once again when he ran away from the opposition for a career best and B qualifying time of 45, 63 secs.
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