Just 46 points separate defending champions Tuks and last year’s runners-up, Tuks, heading into the second and final Varsity Athletics meeting tomorrow – a matter of split seconds.
World class athletes Rantso Mokopane and Taylon Bieldt led the charge for NWU and Tuks respectively, earlier this month, as Tuks led at the halfway mark, but just 46 points. Mokopane earned NWU 993 points while Bieldt notched up 1054, as each finished with gold medals in their preferred events.
Mokopane may just have to cut a few seconds off his time, and the likes of Bieldt and Thembo Monareng may have to shave split seconds off theirs, in order to carry their universities to the title.
Athletes compete to earn points based on the IAAF Scoring Tables, where athletes’ times or distances are calculated based on an international table, falling into various categories that determine the number of points awarded for the result.
Athletes are awarded anything from 50-1400 points depending on how well they performed. For example, Thembo Monareng’s 10.33 in the 100m earned him 1099 points. Usain Bolt’s 9.46 would earn the maximum 1 400. Gift Leotlela’s record-breaking 20.5 in the men’s 200m last year earned him and Tuks 1 143 points.
The top 15 events for each university are added to calculate the overall score.
So tomorrow night will quite literally come down to split seconds, inches, or centimetres!
The difference at the moment is 46 points – which could be the difference between running the 100m in 10.45 or 10.32.
So it’s quite fitting that Varsity Athletics will come down to what the official hashtag stands for. It will come down to which athlete manages to go #FasterFurtherHigher!
Here are the current standings heading into the second meeting:
1. Tuks 15 628
2. NWU 15 582
3. UJ 15 339
4. Kovsies 15 069
5. Maties 14 700
6. UWC 14 563
7. Madibaz 13 830
8. TUT 11 962
Athletes to look out for:
* Thembo Monareng (men’s 100m) – Tuks
* Justine Palframan (women’s 200m and 400m) – Maties
* Zinzi Chabangu (women’s triple jump) – UJ
* Rantso Mokopane (men’s 1500m) – NWU
* Taylon Bieldt (women’s 100mH) – Tuks
* Links Mpho (men’s long jump) – NWU
* Constant Pretorius (men’s 110mH) – Tuks
Click here for results from the first meeting
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