Athletes are hoping to qualify for the Paralympic Games at the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled National Championships taking place in Gqeberha this weekend.
It’s day two of the championships at the Westbourne Oval. And for most athletes, this is the last opportunity to qualify, because slots close on the 5th of May.
The Paralympics are set to take place in Tokyo later this year. Day two is promising at these championships. Athletes taking part in track and field events are all eyeing Paralympics spots.
Athlete Ntando Mahlunga says, “I would love to go to Tokyo and represent my country again in the 200m and do what I do best which is running fast. I’m looking forward to going to Tokyo, and I think that the SA’s fast time is building up to Tokyo and after my 200 I will know where I am.”
Athlete Anrune Weyer says, “As I always say the Paralympic athletes always bring back the medal and always make us so proud when we do compete on the green and gold at the Paralympic Games. So I really hope that this opportunity here in PE will give so many athletes an opportunity to create slots so that we can send a really big team there and create opportunities for the young ones.”
Qualifying for the Paralympics is slightly different from Olympic Games qualifiers.
2020 Paralympic team SA Chef de Mission, Leon Fleiser says, “Speaks about Paralympic qualifications and how it works in comparison to the Olympic games.”
These championships will conclude on Monday.
