Wind spoils Bruintjies’ record blitz

South African 100m champion Henricho Bruintjies ran the fastest time of his career in Italy on Sunday. Photo: Leon Lestrade

South African 100m champion Henricho Bruintjies ran the fastest time of his career in Italy on Sunday. Photo: Leon Lestrade

Published May 29, 2016

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Henricho Bruintjies produced the fastest time by a South African over 100m in Italy on Sunday night, but it won’t be a new national record.

SA champion Bruintjies produced a blistering time of 9.89 seconds at the Gavardo Meeting in northern Italy, the first time a local athlete has broken through the 9.90 barrier.

But unfortunately for the “Blitz from Klapmuts”, the wind reading was 4.4 metres per second (4.4m/s), according to the Gavardo Meeting website, which is well beyond the legal limit of 2.0m/s.

That means Akani Simbine holds on to his SA mark of 9.96, which he ran in Pretoria earlier this year, followed by Bruintjies on 9.97 and 400m world champion Wayde van Niekerk in 9.98.

But Bruintjies will take great confidence from the race, which he won ahead of British athlete Richard Kilty in 9.92. The 22-year-old South African produced a quick time in the heats as well, winning in 10.14 to be joint-fastest with Kilty before the final.

There was further joy for South African sprinting at the same meet as national women’s champion Alyssa Conley ran a new personal best of 11.23 to finish second behind 20-year-old British sensation Dina Asher Smith, who just edged ahead in 11.22.

Conley – whose previous 100m best was 11.29 – prefers the 200m race at this stage of her career, but told Independent Media recently that she has worked hard on getting quicker out of the starting blocks in the shorter event and hopes to compete in both sprints at the Rio Olympics in August.

There was another South African winner in the night at the Gavardo Meeting, with long jumper Dylan Cotter emerging victorious with a leap of 7.83m. It’s well off his PB of 8.16m, which was an Olympic qualifying distance, so he will hope to reach that mark and beyond as he gets closer to Rio.

SA women’s long jump champion Lynique Prinsloo placed second on Sunday with a 6.31m effort behind Italian winner Tania Vicenzino.

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Selected Results

Men’s 100m (Wind reading: +4.4m/s)

1 Henricho Bruintjies (RSA) 9.89

2 Richard Kilty (Great Britain) 9.92

3 Solomon Bockarie (The Netherlands) 10.22

Men’s Long Jump

1 Dylan Cotter (RSA) 7.83m

2 Filippo Randazzo (Italy) 7.74m

3 Stefano Braga (Italy) 7.35m

Women’s 100m

1 Dina Asher Smith (Great Britain) 11.22

2 Alyssa Conley (RSA) 11.23

3 Naomi Sedney (The Netherlands) 11.52

Women’s Long Jump

1 Tania Vicenzino (Italy) 6.40m

2 Lynique Prinsloo (RSA) 6.31m

3 Eliane Martins (Brazil) 6.29m

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