Defending champion Glenrose Xaba is hoping to make history this year by becoming the first athlete to win the Spar Grand Prix for a fourth time.
She intends to throw down the gauntlet at the opening race of the five-race series at Greenpoint, Cape Town, on Sunday.
Missing will be star Ethiopian runners Diniya Abaraya and Salem Gebre, who finished second and third last year. The Ethiopians confirmed this week they will not be travelling to SA for the opening series race, as they were unable to secure clearance letters and visas.
This opens the door for the SA runners to secure podium finishes, and the competition between the elites is expected to be fierce.
The Cape Town race is the first of the five races that make up the Grand Prix. The others are in Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha and Johannesburg.
Prize money has been increased to R2-million, with the overall winner taking home R210,000. The second-placed runner will pocet R105,000, and the third-placed competitor R80,000.
Prize money for the age categories has also been increased.
Xaba was the first South African to win the series since it was opened to international runners, and was the first black South African to win it three times.
She’s now aiming to make history again by becoming the first person to win the coveted prize for a fourth time. “The Spar Grand Prix has become very important to me,” said Xaba.
I’m very proud to be the first black South African to win it three times
— Glenrose Xaba, SA athlete
“I’m very proud to be the first black South African to win it three times. I hope my achievements are an inspiration to young girls living in poverty, as I was, who see what I’ve done and believe they can do the same.” — Sowetan Reporter
