Glanrose Xaba won the season opening SPAR Women’s 10k Challenge Cape Town on Sunday.
Image: Supplied
GLENROSE XABA began the defence of her SPAR Grand Prix Series title with a victory in the SPAR Women’s 10K Challenge in Cape Town on Sunday morning and immediately outlined her plans for the upcoming year.
“So far, the plan is to qualify for the World Championships for track and field. I am also focusing on the SA Half Marathon because we want to qualify for the World Road Running Championships,” the Boxer Athletics Club star said, during the post-race conference at Green Point Stadium.
Xaba won the race in a time of 33:13, finishing five seconds ahead of Ethiopian Selam Gebre, while her training mate Karabo Mailula came in third in 33:33.
The South African marathon record holder led from start to finish, initially fending off the challenge from Ethiopian debutant Meseret Fita and later shaking off her teammates Lebo Phalula and Caisile Sosibo. Gebre stayed on her shoulder until the final kilometre, but Xaba surged ahead with about 850m left in the race.
She was disappointed that the race was not as fast as she had hoped: “I saw a few South Africans behind me, but it was not a challenge for me.
"The race was too slow; no one wanted to help me, so I stayed focused until the end. I was hoping someone would push the pace so we could run better times, but it wasn’t competitive enough for me.”
With the initial victory in the bag, she expressed her determination to defend her title.
“Yes, I am definitely looking to defend the title, and I know it won’t be easy. But I am going to put all my focus on doing it — I’m ready and motivated. I am confident. Yes, the competition will be tougher, but I will focus on myself because I want to see myself alongside the greats like Irvette (van Zyl), Rene (Kalmer), and Tadu (Nare). If I win the title three times, I will be happy.”
Xaba said she remains in good form after her incredible marathon debut, where she set a new national record of 2:22 at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. She has also performed well in her races earlier this year, winning the 10 000m at the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) Championships and the Motsepe Foundation Race to Gender Equality 10K.
“My form is good after the marathon. I am going to focus more on track because it will help me improve my time consistently. We want to do our best to improve our times so we can enhance our ranking on the IAAF list.”
Making her maiden podium finish in the SPAR Grand Prix Series, Mailula’s excitement knew no bounds. The University of Pretoria student admitted that juggling her studies and running is not easy.
“Oh ja, it is very tough. I don’t sleep; I pull all-nighters.
"Last week was semester test week — I was writing exams from Tuesday to Friday, and I had to study before flying here, so I was stressed about the SPAR Ladies race. I did not expect to be on the podium, so I am very happy,” she gushed.
Mailula said training alongside an accomplished athlete like Xaba has been inspiring.
“Ja, I see her as an example. She represents us; she believes in herself, and she’s my training partner. I believe I can achieve what she is achieving. I believe I can reach that level too.”
The SPAR Grand Prix Series consists of five 10km challenges held in different cities. Next up in the series is the Durban race on 22 June, followed by Tshwane on 2 August, Gqeberha on 2 September, and the final race on 5 October in Johannesburg.
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