South Africa’s ambitious 400m track athlete, Ungedzani Pfano, is on the verge of achieving his double goals for the year.
These include qualifying for the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy and completing his exhausting 448km road running marathon from Pretoria to Thohoyandou in Venda, Limpopo.
The 26-year-old Pretoria University student began the 448km trek to Venda on June 1, as the first step towards one of his goals.
As of June 9, he has already passed Matoks in Botlokwa village, outside of Polokwane, with less than 150km left to complete his mission.
“The trekking is a bit tough at some points, as it comes with pain along the way, but thanks to Physio Care, who are taking care of me on this journey. I sincerely appreciate them for taking care of my health,” said Pfano, who was born at Tshilidzini outside Thohoyandou in the Vhembe district.
Warm reception awaits Pfano
Pfano is anticipated to be greeted by a large number of fans upon his arrival at Thavhani Mall in Thohoyandou, either later on Monday or early on Tuesday morning, based on the trending messages on his social media accounts.
After completing his 448km trek, he will have achieved his goal of “raising awareness about the scourge of gender-based violence and drug abuse among young people”.
Following his 448km mission, Pfano, who competes as an athlete for Pretoria University, will concentrate on improving his 400m personal best time of 48.73 seconds, which he set at Pilditch Stadium in February.
With 48.70 seconds as a requirement to qualify for the Olympic Games in the men’s category, Pfano said: “I will stop at nothing in making sure to improve my best personal time from the 48.73 seconds in order to get rid of the three seconds from my previous record.”
Pfano holds the 38th position in South Africa’s 400m track rankings.
