There is a week in March 2025 that will possibly stay with the Tuks sprinter Leonette Vosloo forever.
In the space of seven days, she won the women’s 100 metres at the Grand Prix meeting at the Pilditch and ran her fastest time in the 100 metres, clocking 11.54 seconds. In the time between the two races, her coach, Jaun Strydom, died suddenly.
If Vosloo can come close to rerunning 11.54 seconds in 20 days from now at the South African Athletics Championships in Potchefstroom, she would have a realistic time of medalling. If she does, she will undoubtedly dedicate her performance to Strydom.
“We were privileged to have a coach like Coach Jaun. People who didn’t know him won’t understand how much we as athletes miss him.”
Vosloo, who is doing her honours in computer-integrated education, credits Strydom with orchestrating her breakthrough race of 11.54 seconds in the 100 metres.
“During last year’s national championships in Pietermaritzburg, I was in second place after 80 metres in the 100-metre final. But then I tensed up, and my legs started to ‘fail’. I ended up finishing fifth. Coach Jaun assured me he would find a way for me to improve my top-end speed.
“He did precisely that. He made me do a lot of speed endurance work during training. Then, in the build-up to the Gauteng North Championships, the focus shifted to speedwork. If you have looked at the results, most of my training partners and I had set personal best times just before, during and after the championships. I ran the 11.54 seconds four days after the championships. During the Gauteng North Champs, I won 100 metres, and the two days before, I won at the Grand Prix. That was Coach Jaun’s genius at work.”
Changing coaches in the middle of a season can be challenging—ask any athlete. The experienced Hennie Kriel now coaches Vosloo.
“Fortunately, Coach Hennie decided we should continue to train as we did when Coach Jaun was coaching us. He does not want to change anything until after the South African Championship. Still, it makes me nervous when I think about what could happen during the championships. It could either go very well or very badly. Unfortunately, in athletics, you never know. I’m just going to take the chance. Luckily, I’m someone who can handle pressure well.”
Vosloo’s results are proof that she can step up when it matters. She did the same last year, winning the 100 metres at the first Grand Prix Meeting and then finishing second a week later at the Grand Prix. She was also the Gauteng North and South African students champion in the 100 metres.
What does it take to be consistently competitive in the 100 metres?
“The most important thing is to realise that the 100 metres is a short race. You can’t afford to make mistakes. My father, who coached me at school, always said not to focus too much on the starting pistol. I have to keep my legs loose by kicking lightly when in the starting blocks; it helps to have a good start. The moment the starter’s pistol goes, you have to push hard. Work with your arms and lift your legs. The aim is to get to top speed as quickly as possible. When at top speed, the challenge is to keep going until you cross the finish line.”