Bradley Nkoana downplays home advantage ahead of National Championships

The highly anticipated event, where athletes will compete for the coveted national crown in the various disciplines, will is set to take place from 24–26 April. 

Nkoana, who relocated to the North West two years ago with a group of athletes under the guidance of coach Paul Gorries, insists that his familiarity with the track will not work in his favour.

"I’m very familiar with the track because I spend a lot more time on it – more than most of the athletes I’ll be racing against at the national championships,” Nkoana told SABC Sport.

“I can train there whenever I want, walk around, and I have adjusted to the quiet life in a small town like Potchefstroom, which is different from the hustle and bustle of Tshwane, where I am from. 

"But at the end of the day, none of that matters once it is racing time. You can train and sleep at the venue all you want, but competition is a different story – you must still step up and deliver, whether it is on home ground or not."

In fact, he believes it adds more pressure to deliver a qualifying performance for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, later this year, for which he needs to breach 10.00 seconds to qualify for the men’s 100m event.

The 20-year-old World Junior 100m bronze medallist clocked 10.33 seconds in the age-group national championships in Cape Town two weeks ago – slower than the 10.16 he ran last month at the ASA Grand Prix second leg in Johannesburg, where he finished third.

"In fact, I am under more pressure than the other competitors because the home crowd expects me to run a qualifying time, which is something I also want to achieve, but things do not always go as planned," he added.

"Puk McArthur is a great track, so I need to make sure I deliver an impressive performance. I am in my comfort zone, but I know I will have to push beyond it because I am here to fight.

"Bayanda [Walaza] is proving that running a sub-10 is possible for us. I will be competing in both the 100m and 200m at the national championships."

The second-year student at North-West University and Olympic silver medallist in the 4x100m relays will face stiff competition from the likes of Walaza, seven-time national champion Akani Simbine, Benjamin Richardson and rising youngster Karabo Letebele.

READ: Letsile Tebogo advice for rising SA star Bayanda Walaza