Namakoe Nkhasi wins the Tuks Bestmed 10km race

Crossing the Finish Line first, Nkhasi showcased prowess in middle-distance running, completing the race in 30 minutes and 22 seconds.

Simon Mokonyama (30:27) and Collins Kgadima (30:43), both hailing from South Africa, clinched the second and third positions respectively, trailing behind the frontrunner representing the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Despite the challenging weather conditions, he regarded the event as a mere training session. Donning the colours of the Nedbank Running Club, Nkhasi utilized this race as a part of his preparation regimen for the upcoming Africa Games scheduled in Accra, Ghana, next month. Satisfied with his performance, Nkhasi expressed contentment with his form on the track.

READ: Sivenathi Nontshinga reclaims IBF World title in Mexico

“I’m happy with my performance; I stuck to my training routine and wasn’t anticipating this particular time. Despite aiming for a sub-30 due to the intense heat, the weather proved too challenging and hampered my pace, affecting my overall result. While I frequently train in Pretoria, my home base is the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus. Unfortunately, the conditions weren’t conducive for me to achieve my personal best time of 27:52 over the 10km distance,” disclosed to SABC Sport.

Opting to focus on his training for the half-marathon event at the imminent Africa Games, Nkhasi withdrew from a marathon in Spain. The reigning Lesotho 10km champion deemed it advantageous to hone his skills for the competition in the West African nation in Tshwane, where he clinched victory in his first race of the year.

Meanwhile, organizers overlooked an opportunity to re-introduce the 42.2km race despite the turnout of 3000 runners eager to race through the streets of Tshwane.

Leo Dlamini, the CEO of the medical scheme, disclosed to the national broadcaster that discussions are underway with the University to revive the marathon, which hasn’t been held since 2019.

Dlamini expressed, “Our aim in supporting the sport is to promote health among the runners and their families. We encourage an active lifestyle as a means to stay healthy. The turnout consistently inspires us, and we are pleased with it. Our goal next year is to increase the number of participants to 5000. Additionally, we are actively pursuing the reintroduction of the full marathon, which also serves as the Comrades Marathon qualifier.  Currently, our prize money for the 21.1km race stands at R2500, and we aim to double it for the upcoming year. We remain open to further the prize money and reinstating the 42.2km marathon.”