Olympics Special – SA’s Olympics marathoners to make the most of Sapporo

By Stephen Granger

Tatjana Schoenmaker’s gold medal in the 200m breaststroke was undoubtedly the high point of South Africa’s Tokyo Olympic endeavours, while surfer Bianca Buitendag’s silver medal proved an added delight.  Can the talented marathon team, currently honing their preparations in situ at the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, add to the country’s meagre collection this weekend?

Schoenmaker’s two medals were moments to celebrate, although swimming cognoscenti had tipped the Pretoria swimmer for success on the basis of her leading world ranking going into the Olympics.  Buitendag’s success, however, came from left field. She was seeded 17^th and was clearly not expected to podium.  But her ability to make the best of very tough conditions determined otherwise.

The South African marathoners, and two in particular, arguably fall between Schoenmaker and Buitendag with regards to expectations. While neither Stephen Mokoka nor Gerda Steyn have posted times anywhere near the ‘world leading’ level of Schoenmaker, their performances in big races over the past two years would have put them ahead of Buitendag with regards pre-Olympiad predictions.

Most notably at the World Championships in Doha, almost two years ago, Mokoka has shown he can be competitive in tough, hot conditions and his fifth position in that race, after threatening the race lead until the final kilometre, underlined his ability. And his significant career success in South East Asia, including four wins in the Shanghai Marathon in China and a runners-up position in the Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan last year in 2:08:05, just 25 seconds outside his personal best time, will give him confidence when he lines up on the start line in Sapporo on Sunday morning against (world record holder) Eliud Kipchoge and co.

Steyn’s consistent rise through the ranks of elite marathoners over the past two years, which climaxed with a 2:25:28 national record in Italy on 1^st May this year, is still some way short of the personal-best times in the back-pockets of several of her rivals in Sapporo. Built on the back of her substantial ultra-marathon successes in recent years, and in light of her fast times over 10km and the half marathon in the past 18 months, however, Steyn’s credentials are solid.

The team of five – Elroy Gelant, Desmond Mokgobu and Irvette van Zyl make up the balance – gathered at the Olympic Village in Tokyo last week under the watchful eye of team manager and coach, Hendrick Ramaala, where they had the opportunity to take in some of the Olympic atmosphere before transferring to Sapporo.

Conditions in the Olympic “bio-bubble” are strict and tough on the athletes, as Ramaala acknowledged from the team hotel yesterday. “We get tested for COVID daily. We are confined to the hotel at all times, except when we go out to train each day. Then we get into the bus which transports us to the training precinct, where there is a 900m circuit to train on.  It’s heavily policed, so there’s no chance of running off the circuit anywhere!

“Then it’s back onto the bus to return to the hotel,” Ramaala continued. “It’s tough for the athletes, but the guys are focused – they know what they’re here for.”

“Our team now can feel the conditions and know what its going to be like.  They’ve accepted them and are now getting their minds ready.  The athletes are hopeful and ready to race.”

Injuries and illness are often part of the build-up to high profile events, as has been seen by the absence of several favoured athletes in track and field events.  Not so, with the South African marathon team, who have built their preparation carefully and with caution. “They are healthy and fit and mentally positive – they are happy they have been given this opportunity to race for their country,” observed Ramaala.

Staying in the athletes’ village in Tokyo for two nights before flying to Sapporo proved ideal motivation for the marathoners. “I think it did the athletes a lot of good,” Ramaala reflected. “It was important to get a sense of what the Olympics are all about. There could have been disadvantages, such as getting excited too early, but I think we handled the situation well.

“The athletes are all following programmes and plans from their personal coaches and it is not my role to intervene or change anything.  I’m not one for big speeches and prefer to support the athletes with one on one chats. But everything appears on track at this stage.”

A combination of the importance of the event and the weather conditions make it a betting certainty that the marathon races will be won in times significantly slower than those typically recorded in big city marathons.  Athletes will be aiming for medals and not focused on running fast times. That opens the race to almost everyone in the field, given the tough qualifying times which have been implemented at these Games – 2:11:30 and 2:29:30 respectively.

Although the daily temperatures in Sapporo have been cooler than those in Tokyo, the high humidity is what will make the conditions really touch, as Ramaala knows from first-hand experience.  Racing for South Africa at the World Championships in hot and humid conditions in Osaka in 2007, Ramaala struggled home in 2:26:00 behind Kenyan winner, Luke Kibet, whose 2:15:59 winning time was some seven minutes slower than his best marathon coming into the race and over twelve minutes outside the world leading times that year.

“The humidity makes it really tough,” Ramaala acknowledged. “Athletes should not warm up too much before the race or they will lose all their fluids before the start.  The pace will likely be slow from the start and then when the sun comes out in the second half, it will ensure the pace stays slow till the finish.”

One person who knows much about Olympic and big marathon pressure is Elana van Zyl, winner of a silver medal for South Africa in the 10 000 m in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and who suffered an incapacitating injury during the 1996 Olympic Marathon. “I think we have a very strong marathon team in Japan, similar in strength to the team in Atlanta (where Josiah Thugwane won),” said Van Zyl this week.

“Stephen (Mokoka) always rises to the occasion. He showed that at the World Championships in Doha. His coach, Michael Sene, has prepared him with great patience and insight over the years. He has performed well on big stages and now is his chance.

“Gerda (Steyn) has also excelled in big races, but this is a different stage! But she is capable of racing in the toughest conditions and has prepared well in Dubai. Whatever the pace, I don’t think she’ll blow in the second half.  If you’ve raced over 90km, you’re not going to die in the second half of a marathon!”

What would Elana have said to the South African marathon athletes, had she the opportunity to address the team on the eve of their race?  “I would tell them ‘this is the moment you’ve been working towards for so long. And now the moment has arrived. Go into the race and put yourself in a position to medal, rather than working your way up from behind.’ ”

Given the vagaries of the marathon and the size and quality of the fields, a top twenty position against the world’s best would be a creditable effort and a top ten from any of the team (achieved only by two South African athletes since re-admission in 1992, Colleen de Reuck and Josiah Thugwane), outstanding. All five marathoners, however, believe that if everything goes well on the day, an Olympic medal is theirs for the taking and they will do everything in their power to achieve it.

Noting South Africa’s relatively poor showing in the medal stakes in this year’s Olympics, Ramaala is not prepared to promise to put any additional pressure on the marathon team. “We can’t promise to save the country (with regards medals),” reflected Ramaala. “Placing too much expectation on the athletes would be unfair and counter-productive.  But I’m confident they will all give of their best on the day.”

The women’s marathon takes place at 07h00 on Saturday morning (Friday 24h00 SAST) and the men’s marathon on Sunday morning at the same time.

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