Elroy Gelant: ASA Awards nomination brings self-fulfilment

Athletics South Africa will celebrate the country’s top athletes from 2024 at a prestigious awards ceremony on Saturday night at Montecasino in Fourways, Johannesburg, with the Athlete Personality of the Year award determined by public votes.

Gelant is up against Akani Simbine, Adriaan Wildschutt, Bayanda Walaza, Prudence Sekgodiso, Lythe Pillay, Jo-Ane Van Dyk, Gerda Steyn, Viwe Jingqi, and Glenrose Xaba, and is delighted with merely being nominated.

"I'm really honoured to have been nominated for the ASA Awards. For me, it's a feeling of self-fulfilment and it also shows what I actually put in last year.

"The outcome of all the hard work, consistency and self-discipline, and that I've actually been rewarded for it, so it's a great honour to be nominated among the best of South Africa, who represented our country last year at the Olympics."

Gelant had a packed schedule in 2024, highlighted by an 11th-place finish in the Olympic marathon in Paris, and plans to adopt a more measured approach in 2025, with the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September the big target.

"Honestly, I had a big year last year, so for me this year is really just to take things easy, but when I say easy, it's to have a type of quality approach to my races because I'm going to be very specific about my races this year," he added.

"But I think the main goal will be the World Championships in Tokyo later this year, it will be tough and humid conditions."

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