Eastern Province Athletics launched its 2026/27 youth, senior and masters track and field season with a spirited opening meeting in testing conditions at Westbourne Oval on Saturday.
The meeting formed part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Legacy Project.
Persistent morning rain created difficult conditions, but athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers refused to allow the weather to overshadow the occasion.
The long jump competition and the girls’ U16 high jump had to be cancelled but the the remainder of the shortened programme continued.
The meeting also required careful coordination across three venues.
Most events were presented at Westbourne Oval, while the hammer throw took place at the NMU Stadium and the pole vault at Framesby High School.
One of the outstanding performances came from 17-year-old EPA hammer thrower Lincoln Kunneke, a bronze medallist at the 2025 SA U18 Championships.
Kunneke recorded 60,35m at the season opener and earned the highest athletics performance evaluation (APE) score with 950 points.
His national championship medal and a reported school record of 71,33m underline his standing as one of the province’s leading young throwers.
Dylan Viviers followed with another excellent U20 hammer throw performance of 55,79m, earning 920 APE.
Bjorn Visser reached 42,10m, while Michael Marais recorded 40,62m.
U20 athlete Guendolen Booysen recorded 38,92m in the women’s discus for an APE score of 860.
Tamlyn Heyman led a strong girls’ U18 hammer throw event with a distance of 40,65m and an 840 APE. Leane Rudman came second with 36,05m, followed by Ivanka Vermaak with 29,95m.
On the track, Olivia Mukheibir made an impressive start to her season in the girls’ U16 category.
She won the 100m in 13,20 seconds, the 200m in 26,90 seconds and the 400m in 1:02,70.
Her 200m performance earned an 830 APE, while her 400m landed her a further 820 points.
Kylie Dorfling was another strong U16 performer. She won the 800m in 2:23,30 minutes and later completed the 1,500m in 5:11,10.
In the girls’ U16 3,000m, Caitlin Kingwill claimed victory in 12:04,80. Ava Basson followed closely in 12:05,30, with Talia Prahaladh finishing in 12:12,70.
Asiphesona Jesile enjoyed a successful morning in the girls’ U18 sprint events. She won the 100m in 13,10 seconds, the 200m in 27,30 seconds and the 400m in 1:03,10.
The boys’ U18 competitions also delivered several promising performances.
Patrick Kettledas won the 100m in 11,20 seconds, while Kungawo Latile took the 200m in 23,00.
Reece Lester recorded a strong 51,20 in the 400m, while Liam Westraadt won the 800m in 2:01,70 minutes.
Senzo Nzotoyi led the 1,500m field with a time of 4:23,20.
In the field events, Seth Jones cleared 1,85m in the boys’ U18 high jump.
Wieneke Voigt won the girls’ U18 triple jump with 11,00m, while Liam Ferreira reached 12,42m in the boys’ competition.
The U20 men produced several noteworthy performances.
Riaaz Dennis recorded 14,38m in the triple jump, while Christiaan Lessing achieved 41,65m in the discus for 820 APE points.
In the senior competition, Kyle Norman and Livaan Featherstone shared the fastest 100m time of the morning, with both athletes recording 10,80 seconds. Featherstone also won the 200m in 22,60.
The masters athletes added valuable experience and enthusiasm to the programme.
Algin du Plessis recorded 12,90 seconds in the 100m and 25,30 in the 200 metres, while Ninah Wedderburn completed the women’s 800m in 2:32,20. — EPA Track and Field
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