Wildschutt smashes SA 10km record in front of home crowd

ADRIAAN Wildschutt may have skipped his usual post-race strawberry tart, but that hardly dulled the celebrations after yet another record-breaking run — this time claiming the South African 10km road record — with his entire family there to share in the joy.

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO-

Living up to his promise, the Amer-ica-based athlete slashed seven seconds off Precious Mashele’s two-year-old record, clocking 27:28 to win the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Ggeberha 10K on Sunday morning. Originally from Ceres in the Western Cape, Wildschutt now holds four national records — 3 000m (7:32.99), 5 000m (12:55.02), 10 000m (26:50.54) on the track, and now the 10km road.

Not even a sluggish start and a headwind down the final stretch could stop him, as Wildschutt dug deep into his reserves of speed, willpower, and self-belief. And how could he not, with his mother watching him race in per-son for the first time? Most of his family was present, including his older brother Nadeel, who finished seventh — giving the 26-year-old ample inspiration.

“It would have been such a pity coming all the way from the US and just missing it (the record) by a few seconds. So I definitely feel very happy.