Maxime Chaumeton breaks the SA 5km record

Under the guidance of the legendary Hendrick Ramaala at the renowned Zoo Lake, Chaumeton clocked an impressive 13 minutes and 17 seconds, trimming seven seconds off the national record previously held by Ryan Mphahlele (13:24) earlier this year.  

Chaumeton secured a ninth-place finish in the competition.  

The 23-year-old athlete of French origin is now focused on qualifying for the 5000m event at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris next year.

Athletics South Africa (ASA) President James Moloi conveyed his joy to the national broadcaster in response to the remarkable accomplishment of the talented athlete.

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“Maxime, congratulations on making us proud. Our heartfelt congratulations also go out to his dedicated coach, Ramaala, and his teammates at Zoo Lake. Anticipating numerous records being broken here, we look forward to witnessing more outstanding performances from Maxime in the future,” said Moloi.

“He exemplifies a remarkable and industrious athlete, consistently aiming to raise the bar. His recent achievement comes as no surprise,” expressed Moloi.

Chaumeton finished in second place at the inaugural ASA national 5km championships held at the FNB Stadium in July.