South African young one-lap sensation Leendert Koekemoer says he is setting his sights on the World U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, US, from August 5 to 9 this year.
Koekemoer is one of the rising athletes in South Africa and is tipped to take the world by storm. He has proven time and again that he will be hard to catch for years to come.
The 19-year-old helped South Africa to gold in the 4x400m at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China and was instrumental in the final at the recent World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, against global stars Letsile Tebogo, Bayapo Ndori, Collen Kebinatshipi and Lee Eppie.
With the U20 Champs on the horizon and being part of the 51-member preliminary squad by Athletics South Africa (ASA), Koekemoer says he is beaming with excitement and looking forward to competing against his agemates.
“As I’ve seen the track at Eugene, it’s a very beautiful place. So, I’m excited to be in that type of atmosphere as well in Eugene. So, I’m very, very excited to go there,” Koekemoer said in Gaborone.
‘A very rushed build-up’
“Also, what excites me is running against people my age who are also fast. It’s quite exciting for me. It was like a very rushed build-up, I would say, to get me qualified for World Juniors. But we got it done at the end of the day, and I’m going now and I am very excited.”
Having clocked record times and won medals at a senior level, one would imagine that at a young age, there would be pressure to constantly deliver every time he steps onto the track.
However, that is not the case for Koekemoer. He believes pressure is a privilege.
“I feel like in every athlete’s career, there would be such pressure. But for me, I stay calm. I know what I’m capable of and pressure is a privilege.
“If you just go off what people expect you to do, it’s not going to be fun for you to run in anyway. I feel like I just come here, I do my thing and I do my best. If I’m happy with my best, I’m happy,” he added.
ASA is expected to unveil the final World U20 Championship squad in the coming weeks.
- South African sprinter Leendert Koekemoer is aiming to compete at the World U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, from August 5-9.
- At 19, Koekemoer is a rising athletics star who helped South Africa win gold in the 4x400m relay at the World Athletics Relays in China and performed well in Botswana.
- He is part of Athletics South Africa's 51-member preliminary squad for the Championships and is excited to compete against top peers in Eugene.
- Despite a rushed qualification process, Koekemoer remains confident and views competitive pressure as a privilege rather than a burden.
- Athletics South Africa will announce the final World U20 Championships squad in the coming weeks.
