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IOL News
20-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Amashova Classic defending champion S'annara Grove seals dramatic win at the line
Amashova Classic women's 106km race winner S'annara Grove (centre) is flanked by second-place finisher Lisa Bone (left) and third cyclist home, Lucy Young at Sunday's prize-giving ceremony at Suncoast Casino in Durban. Image: Supplied S'annara Grove battled brutal winds and needed a bike throw at the line to fend off the challenge of Lisa Bone in a dramatic sprint finish in the 106km women's race at the Amashova National Classic on Sunday. The CJ O'Shea Racing rider defended her title in the iconic race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, clocking a time of 2:48:49. Men's race winner Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (2:16:55) also relied on a sprint finish to secure his first Amashova title, though his race unfolded with far less drama. Amashova National Classic 2025 men's race winner Reinardt Janse van Rensburg. Image: Suppiled 'It was a windy day. Normally in winter we get a nice westerly blowing, which would have meant a nice tailwind for the Amashova. But today we actually got a bit annihilated by a north-easter, which is a bit unusual for winter,' Grove told Independent Media Sport at the finish at Suncoast Casino in Durban. 'It made it difficult to be very aggressive on the hills. When we got to Inchanga, it was always my plan to go to the front, make things hard, and try to break the field up so I didn't have to deal with attacks from too many riders from different teams. It was quite difficult with the headwind. 'I think I joked a few times that the girls were saving quite a few watts on my wheel, but it still broke up the field enough and we came through Inchanga with just five riders. Then we hit the M13, got annihilated with the wind, and really had to fight our way down there.' Grove admitted she may have launched her final sprint too early. Despite that, she was able to call on her track experience to edge Bone at the line. 'It was very close. I haven't had a sprint that tight since the Cape Town Cycle Tour in 2024. It was decided on the throw of the line. I'm glad I have a lot of track experience — I'm quite good at throwing for the line,' said Grove, a Durban rider for whom the Amashova holds a special place. Lucy Young rounded out the top three, with the leading trio sharing the same time. Janse van Rensburg also needed a late sprint to hold off Travis Stedman (2:16:56), while Emile van Niekerk finished third in 2:18:10. 'It was a nice race — quite fast from the start. Me and Travis got away just after the halfway mark. From there it was really fast to the finish, quite a lot of downhills, but we worked well together,' said Janse van Rensburg, whose best previous Amashova result was third place in 2008. 'The two of us came to the finish together, and you never know in a sprint finish with two riders how it's going to go. Travis has a good kick, so I didn't know what would happen until the last moment — very happy to take it.' Rising star Josh Johnson claimed victory in the under-19 division.
IOL News
19-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Star sprinter Akani Simbine struggles on wet London track, while Zak Nene takes bronze
Akani Simbine (centre) struggled to a lowly fifth place in the 100m at the London Diamond League meeting on Saturday. Image: AFP Two of South Africa's top sprinters struggled to repeat their recent heroics at a wet and gloomy London Diamond League meeting on Saturday afternoon, as 100m star Akani Simbine's winning streak ended and 400m ace Zakithi Nene had to settle for bronze. The 100m at London Stadium with a capacity crowd of 60 000 had been billed as a showdown between Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles and 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. Yet the star-studded field – with Simbine boasting the world lead this year – was upstaged by Jamaican Oblique Seville, who took the gold in a fast 9.86 seconds. Lyles finished second, in 10 seconds flat, while British runner Zharnel Hughes was third in 10.02. Simbine was fifth, in a time of 10.08 while Tebogo finished in seventh. There was another upset result in the 400m, where British runner Charles Dobson secured the win in a personal best time of 44.14sec with a late surge. His compatriot, and pre-race favourite Matthew Hudson-Smith, the Olympic silver medallist, took silver in 44.27 and Nene the bronze in 44.29. The race marked a return to competition for the South African one-lap star after a six-week absence. South Africa's Zakithi Nene, centre, took bronze in the 400m event of the Diamond League athletics meeting at the London Stadium on Saturday. Image: AFP Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading His coach Victor Vaz feels Nene – who boasts this year's world-leading time of 43.76 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi – may have paid the price for a relatively pedestrian first 200m, by his high standards. The official race statistics bear testimony to that, listing his 200m split time at 21.23. 'He was a little bit casual in the first 200 and Hudson-Smith on his inside closed the gap, and that told me Zak was relaxed,' Vaz told Independent Media Sport exclusively from his KZN base after the race. 'If you look at the timing splits, you can see that when he ran that Kenyan best or world's fastest time, he ran a sub-21 for the 200, and this time he was just over the 21. And if you look at Hudson-Smith's 200 time, it was faster (21.03). So he closed the gap. 'And Zak usually is up in the first three when he comes out of the 300, and he wasn't this time. He had enough in the tank, but just not enough to possibly get him into a higher position.' The veteran coach, who lives on the KZN North Coast, still takes comfort in the fact that the 27-year-old Nene continues to post impressive times over the one-lap race. 'If you look at the times, they look phenomenal. Not a single 400m runner in the world except for Zak has run under 44, so maybe it was the day, maybe the weather, maybe the wet tartan, but I don't think it would have affected Zak. I just think he was a little bit casual in that first 200, that's all. But it was a good race.'
IOL News
14-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Henning goes back-to-back in Hillcrest as Wimbledon dreams fuel his climb
Phillip Henning won back-to-back titles in the Curro Centre Court Series in Hillcrest. Image: Supplied As Jannik Sinner was cementing his place in tennis history with a maiden Wimbledon triumph on Sunday, South African Davis Cup player Phillip Henning was quietly building his own legacy on the courts of Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal — claiming back-to-back titles in the Curro Centre Court Series. The 24-year-old Bloemfontein-born, Stellenbosch-based player had to fight back from a set down to beat Poland's Filip Peliwo, the No 3 seed, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the ITF World Tennis Tour final. The win, coming just a week after another three-set victory over American Adhithya Ganesan at the same venue, marked Henning's fifth Curro title overall — and his second in as many Sundays. Valeria Bhunu of Zimbabwe won one of the two Curro Centre Court Series titles on offer in Hillcrest. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Filip is a tough opponent, doesn't miss many balls, makes you work hard for every point,' Henning told Independent Media Sport. 'I also played him in the semi-finals last week and that was also three sets, so it was another battle. But I'm happy I found a way.' Rain delays on Saturday meant both the semi-finals and the final were played on the same day, adding a layer of fatigue and pressure to Henning's triumph. Yet he thrived, relying on powerful groundstrokes and adaptability in tricky, high-bounce conditions. 'The conditions are tricky — the balls are very bouncy — and I took a while to get used to it,' he said. 'This week I didn't feel at my best at times but I managed to dig deep and find that tough level. I've been playing well, serving well, so overall I'm happy with my game.' Henning's recent success is part of a steady rise since returning to South Africa from the US in 2023, where he played college tennis for the University of Georgia. Now competing on the Futures Tour under the banner of the Coppini Tennis Academy, he's beginning to eye a breakthrough onto tennis's biggest stages. His current ATP ranking hovered around the 400 mark before the Hillcrest tournaments. With Grand Slam qualifiers typically requiring a ranking of 240 or better, he knows there's still work to be done. 'A couple of spots that I still need to climb,' he said with a smile. 'But hopefully I'll get there one day.' He hopes to break into the Top 300 by the end of the year, and believes the exposure to higher-level Challenger tournaments and accumulating ATP points will continue to open doors. 'Just playing on the tour and getting into those Challenger events has opened my eyes and made me see that it is possible,' said Henning. 'It just requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice — but I'm here for it.' In the women's final, top seed Stephanie Judith Vischer of the Netherlands also mounted a comeback, defeating Russia's Kira Pavlova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Zimbabwe's Valeria Bhunu had won the previous event. For Henning, though, the focus is on the next step — and perhaps, in time, joining compatriot Lloyd Harris on the main stage of world tennis.
IOL News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Kgothatso Montjane aims for back-to-back Wimbledon doubles titles
Kgothatso Montjane, right, and playing partner Yui Kamiji of Japan hold up their French Open winners' plates. Their next goal is to defend their Wimbledon title. South African wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso 'KG' Montjane is gearing up for the defence of her Wimbledon doubles title, alongside Japanese partner Yui Kamiji, and is hoping for back-to-back Grand Slam wins. KG is keen to carry the momentum from the defence of their French Open title on the clay of Roland Garros onto the grass courts of the All England Club. The title in Paris was the fourth Grand Slam win for the South African tennis superstar who recently celebrated her 39th birthday. They had to dig deep to see off the Chinese pairing of Xiaohui Li and Ziying Wang in the women's doubles final, coming back from a set down to secure a 4-6 7-5 (10-7) victory. Her major victories also include the 2023 US Open. While she lists the Australian Open as her favourite Slam, Wimbledon has a special place in KG's heart, and she is keen to add to her legacy at SW19. The wheelchair tennis tournament begins on July 8. She still ranks 'being the first black South African woman to ever win Wimbledon' as her greatest tennis achievement in a career that started at amateur level in 2011. The adjustment from clay to grass is a difficult one for most tennis players, more so for wheelchair players. 'Grass is completely a different surface and it's quite heavy compared to clay,' KG told Independent Media Sport exclusively during her Wimbledon build-up. 'Moving is a challenge, everything requires arm strength, though you have to use the hips to manoeuvre the chair.' That explains the decision to adapt her gym programme to include more power and strength training. She feels her 'versatile game, with the ability to play both attacking and defensive tennis' remains her biggest strength, however. The South African ace also came close to netting her first major singles title at Roland Garros, where she was knocked out in the semi-final by Dutch second seed Aniek van Koot. It is one more obstacle the veteran from Seshego – who had a congenital disorder that affected both her hands and a foot and had to have a leg amputated at a young age – is determined to overcome.
IOL News
22-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Zakithi Nene's journey from Olympic disappointment to world championship contender
US' Quincy Hall, right, crosses the finish line ahead of South Africa's Zakithi Nene, centre, to win the men's 400m event of the Diamond League athletics meeting at the Olympic stadium in Rome. South Africa's 400m star Zakithi Nene credits a hard reset after the Paris Olympics for taking him up a level in the one-lap sprint, making him one of the early favourites for the world championships in Tokyo later this year. The tall, easy-going sprinter with a fluid, upright style blazed to this year's world-leading time of 43.76sec at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi. The personal best time left him in elite company, joining 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk as the only South African athletes to run under 44 seconds in the event. A narrow loss to Olympic champion Quincy Hall (44.22) at the Rome Diamond League meeting by one-hundredth of a second the following weekend (44.23) denied him back-to-back titles. When we caught up with him at Kings Park Athletics Stadium in Durban recently, it was clear how much that result had hurt. No pain, no gain Under the watchful eye of coach Victor Vaz, he was put through a gruelling training routine that made me tired just watching, gliding over the track in blustery conditions at speeds that seemed barely human. Poetry in motion. And just when it looked like he was spent, he would go again after a short rest, showing the kind of drive and determination that champions are made of as he pushed through the pain barrier time and again. No pain, no gain, they say, and for the likeable 27-year-old from Ladysmith, who spent most of his life in Durban, right now the gains are there for the world to see. The turning point for the speedster came after last year's Olympic Games in Paris. 'Walking into Paris I'd been a semi-finalist in the last three, four championships that I had participated in, so I was looking to go one better. Unfortunately, I also go knocked out in the semi-finals there too,' he told Independent Media Sport exclusively after his training session. 'And we finished fifth in the 4X400 relay in the Olympic final. So I think that was the turning point for me in my career. 'I think I really didn't take the Paris Olympics too well, so I found myself in a position whereby my coach Victor Vaz and I were reflecting on the calendar year and how we did throughout the year. 'I've been doing 400s for too long and I'm pretty much programmed to train a certain way, run a certain way, compete a certain way. So we found ourselves in a position whereby we were just relearning the event, fixing some of the things which were an issue.'
