Xaba aspires to end six-year Grand Prix drought

The 29-year-old Boxer Running Club member currently leads the leader board after amassing 59 points following her victory in Cape Town and a second-place finish in Durban last week.

Ethiopia’s Diniya Abaraya of the Nedbank Running Club is a close second with 55 points, with Xaba’s running teammate Cacisile Sosibo third with 35 points, while three-time series winner Tadu Nare is fourth with 30 points. The latter won the Durban leg but missed the Cape Town race due to personal commitments.

The overall winner, determined by points accumulated across the five-series event made up of races in Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, Tshwane and Johannesburg, will receive R200 000, and the first South African on the leaderboard will also walk away with a brand-new car.

“I am pleased with my performance so far in the series. I gave my best effort to win the race in Durban but had to settle for second place. I am determined to win the Spar series at all costs. It has been a long time since a South African claimed the title – I was the last winner in 2018. I have sacrificed many things to focus on this dream,” Xaba told SABC Sport.

Holder of the 5000m and 10 000m national titles, Xaba sacrificed her dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games by missing the African Senior Championships in Cameroon to focus on the 10km event.

This year she successfully defended her national title, however, her greatest achievement would be reclaiming the Grand Prix title eight years later and preventing Nare from winning her fourth consecutive title.

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