Kovsie track star Oratile Setlhabi hopes to raise the bar even higher at the Athletics South Africa (ASA) national senior track and field championship hosted in Cape Town from Thursday (21/04) to Saturday (23/04).
His ambitious quest is to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The global competition is set to be presented from 28 July to 8 August in Birmingham, England.
The qualification standard for men’s athletes in the 400 m is a time of 45.21. All individual athletes eligible for the games will be ranked in the top ten to be considered for final selection.
Setlhabi’s victory in the men’s 400 m at the opening ASA Grand Prix series in Bloemfontein, which he attained in 46.37, serves as the yardstick for his quest.
Building up to the challenge he has set himself for the 400 m at the national event, Setlhabi competed in the 200 m event in the third leg of the ASA Grand Prix series, held in Potchefstroom on 6 April. He completed this sprint in 21.00.
“My body conditioning was good, but the finishing time was not what I had aimed for,” said Setlhabi.
He said both the Grand Prix series and the University Sports South Africa (USSA) track competitions formed part of his preparation to reach his goal to qualify for the international games.
“I decided to not compete in all grand prix series and USSA competitions to ensure I could train to optimise my performance and have enough sessions too.
“These events were important, because thereafter I could gauge my performance and do an introspection about where I am still lacking and what I must improve.
“It was good to compete in Bloemfontein, because we do not really have that many competitions with different competitors. It was nice to just take to the field with different talents that South Africa has to offer,” said Setlhabi.
Part of unlocking his full potential, he also switches over to compete in the 100 m sprinting event.
Setlhabi’s personal best in the 100 m is 10.52.
It was nice to take to the field with different talents – Oratile Setlhabi
