MEDIA RELEASE
TUESDAY: 11 MARCH 2025
GIMMIES AND VRYBURG SHINE AT NORTH WEST LEG, QUALIFYING FOR TRACK+FIELD NATIONAL FINAL
Potchefstroom, North-West Province: Potchefstroom Gimnasium and Vryburg High School were the top performers on Tuesday, as they dominated the girls and boys competitions at the North West leg of the nationwide Track+Field high schools athletics series held at Puk McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom.
In the girls division, Potchefstroom Gimnasium (Gimmies) finished on top with 519 points, finishing well clear of runners-up Vryburg High School (402) and Moyo Educators School (283).
Vryburg turned the tables in the boys category, however, raking in a remarkable 842 points to finish ahead of Gimmies (493) who ended second and Moyo Educators School (390) in third.
The two winning schools joined the growing list of teams from around South Africa who have qualified for the T+F National Final to be held in Pretoria.
Stephane Hook, representing Gimmies, was the star performer on the day, producing spectacular throws in both the U17 javelin and shot-put competitions.
Hook launched a massive 51.77m throw to win the javelin contest, and she sent the shot sailing out to 14.46m, holding off strong challenges from her teammate Doneli Steynberg (13.75m) and Vryburg athlete Ane Putter (12.49m) who ended second and third.
There were also impressive performances produced by Gimmies sprinters, with Lize van Zyl winning the U17 100m race in 12.20 seconds, while Lezanke Pienaar took the 100m (12.48) and 200m (25.64) races in the U15 age group.
Among the boys, Gimmies delivered standout results across the board, led by Logan Botes who secured victory in the U17 shot put with a 16.89m throw, with Armin Opperman (14.38) also doing well to go beyond 14 metres.
Also competing in the U17 age group, Damian Zwahlen won the javelin throw contest with a best attempt of 61.39m.
On the track, AJ Welgemoed impressed by charging to victory in the U17 100m (10.88) and 200m (22.21) events.
“There were some excellent performances today, especially in the U17 age group, and it’s great to see so much talent being unearthed as we continue our quest to find the top track and field school in the country,” said series co-founder and former Olympic sprinter Mathew Quinn.
“We want to give some of the smaller schools in every province an opportunity to compete at this level, and it is awesome to see how many of them have come out to compete once again at the North West leg of the T+F series.”
The next leg of the inaugural T+F campaign – a joint venture between SuperSport, SA Schools Athletics and Athletics South Africa – will be held in Polokwane, Limpopo on Wednesday, 12 March 2025.
/ENDS
FREE TO USE PICTURES WITH CAPTIONS
Boys Winners – Vryburg High School- Vryburg High School were crowned overall boys’ champions of the North West leg of the Track+Field 2025 series held at the Puk McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, 11 March 2025. Vryburg High School will now represent North West in the national final of the Track+Field series to be held in Gauteng in April. Picture credit Seyms Brugger Photography
Girls Winners – Potch Gimnasium– Potch Gimnasium were crowned overall girls’ champions of the North West leg of the Track+Field 2025 series held at the Puk McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, 11 March 2025. Potch Gimnasium will now represent North West in the national final of the Track+Field series to be held in Gauteng in April. Picture credit Seyms Brugger Photography
Keelan Tietus from Vryburg High School- Keelan Tietus of Vryburg High School (left) won the boys U17 800m of the North West leg of the Track+Field 2025 series held at the Puk McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, 11 March 2025. Picture credit Seyms Brugger Photography
Girls u19 Javelin – Stephane Hook from Potch Gimnasium- Stephane Hook of Potch Gimnasium participating in the Girls u19 Javelin of the North West leg of the Track+Field 2025 series held at the Puk McArthur Stadium in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, 11 March 2025. Picture credit Seyms Brugger Photography
