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Following his win in the Hollywoodbets 10km race in Durban on Sunday, South African middle-distance star Tshepo Tshite says he is trying to master the art of running the 5,000m faster as he prepares for the World Championships in Beijing, China, next year.
Tshite finished first in 28:18 ahead of Stephen Kangethe, who was second in 28:21. Kabelo Mulaudzi was third, finishing in 28:28.
Tshite, a Phantane Athletics Club runner, plans to run the 5,000m at the World Championships next year and at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, and said that the faster he runs in the 10km, the better he will run in track events.
“The faster I run in the 10ks, the better my 5,000m will be because I already know that I have the advantage of speed,” Tshite told the media after the race.
“That’s why I have been trying to master the 10k. Then I know that once I get that sub-28, then my 5,000m will be much better because I will be able to run 5,000m in the World Championships or Olympics.”
Tshite feels he could have run a sub-28 on Sunday if it were not for the windy conditions.
“Every time I run the 10ks, it is windy. I’ve never had good conditions, but I’m glad about the way things went,” he said.
“The faster I run in the 10ks, the better my 5,000 will be ...” — Tshepo Tshite
“I know I am capable of running sub-28, but the most important thing is to try, by all means, to run the 10km because, remember, roads and tracks are not the same, especially now that I come from the 800m, and I have been trying to upgrade gradually.
“For now, it is all about trying by all means to understand the distance, then in future, I will go full on.”
Tayla Kavanagh, who won the women’s race in 31:39 ahead of Neheng Khathala and Karabo Mailula, believes she could have broken the SA record [set by Glenrose Xaba in 31:12 at the Absa Run Your City in Durban in 2024] if she didn’t fall three kilometres into the race.
“My first five kilometres... I went really fast unexpectedly; I think the fall threw me off a little bit,” Kavanagh said.
“The SA record that Glenrose holds is definitely something that I want to get in the near future. I know it will come on a good day, and it is something I will love to have my name next to.”
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