Glenrose Xaba, the SA 10km record holder, will take on Tayla Kavanagh, the reigning SA 5,000m and 10,000m champion, in an electrifying Clash of the Champions at the Absa Run Your City Cape Town 10km on Sunday.
Kavanagh is in sensational form, having completed the distance double at the national championships in Stellenbosch last month, producing a dazzling solo 14:58.52 to become only the third SA woman to break the 15-minute barrier.
“Globally, women’s running is on the rise and it’s exciting to be a part of that in South Africa,” she said. “It’s exciting to be in a position to run with Glenrose and challenge each other. The competition always helps raise the standards of running.”
Barely 48 hours after Kavanagh’s performance at the national championships, Xaba — who runs in the colours of the Boxer Athletics Club — lined up at the Istanbul Half Marathon and delivered a remarkable performance, clocking a lifetime best of 1:07:03 to move within 19 seconds of Elana Meyer’s SA record. Xaba now boasts the title of second-fastest SA female 21km athlete in history, while also holding the SA marathon record.
The stage is now set for a true Clash of the Champions — one that has already captured headlines after Kavanagh surged to victory at the Cape Town leg of the SPAR Grand Prix on March 29, clocking a personal best 31:33 in a thrilling five-second win over Xaba.
“Glenrose and I are really good friends and have a lot of respect for each other, but when we stand on the start line, we are fierce competitors,” Kavanagh said.
Xaba said: “When I see Tayla on the start line, I expect a fast and competitive race because Tayla is a quality athlete. She always brings strong competition, and that pushes me to give my best. We motivate each other to run faster.”
Sowetan
