Elroy Gelant to leave Cape Town Marathon decision to after Olympics

The 37-year-old secured his spot in the Paris marathon through the world rankings last week, after missing out on the automatic qualification mark.

Originally aiming to achieve a sub-2:06:00 marathon time, Gelant’s plans shifted when he was confirmed as part of the Olympic squad alongside Stephen Mokoka. 

"The Olympic Games confirmation changed everything about what I had planned out. The Cape Town Marathon is only in September, and I will first listen to my body when I return from the Olympic Games in Paris," explained Gelant to SABC Sport. 

"I am enjoying myself this year, and winning the Cape Town Marathon is part of the objectives I had set for this year. However, qualifying for the Olympics means I have to shift my focus towards the Games and make other decisions afterwards."

READ: Stephen Mokoka: My best marathon performance is yet to come

His marathon personal best currently stands at 2:08:56, with notable achievements of 27:55 in the 10km and 1:03:54 in the half-marathon.

Under the guidance of coach Jean Verster, who famously mentored Caster Semenya to Olympic gold in the women’s 800M at the 2016 Games in Brazil, Gelant has set sights on a top-15 finish at the upcoming Olympics. 

"We are preparing rigorously for the Olympics with my coach. If I can achieve a strong marathon performance by year-end, I will be satisfied and not concerned about my age. It’s about experience,” he added.

“I am in a good space and have accomplished so much this year. Whether we compete in another race before the Olympics, my coach will make the final decision."