Moloi predicts 3 or 4 athletics medals

Athletics SA president (ASA) James Moloi predicts his federation will bring three or four medals to Team SA's medal haul at the Paris Olympics Games later this month.

Track and field as well as roadrunning have 35 athletes qualified for this year’s Olympiad.

After they returned from the Tokyo Games empty-handed four years ago, Moloi expressed his confidence that this time track and field athletes will bring medals.

“I’m putting my hope to say that the 100m relay and 4x4 relay we are going to do very well. Wayde is back now if you saw two weeks ago, he ran and came third [at the New York City Grand Prix],” Moloi said.

SA's biggest athletics stars Wayde van Niekerk and Akani Simbine are billed to compete in the relays Moloi mentioned above.

He was addressing the media during the Spar Women’s Challenge Johannesburg launch at Emperors Palace yesterday.

The Johannesburg leg of the series will take place on October 6 at Marks Park, Emmarentia, and entries are now open.

“Akani came first [Diamond League, Oslo, Norway last week] and it shows that they will still run the relay. We are expecting a medal from Akani, we are expecting a medal from Wayde if he will be fine.

“But most of the medals we expect are from those two relays that we are 100% sure that if they don’t drop, we are going to get something.”

Adding to his confidence is that track and field will have 35 athletes going to the Paris Olympics and Moloi feels there are other athletes capable of also bringing medals.

“From our side as ASA, we are very excited because we know very well because we were not expecting to get that number but now after closing, we saw the numbers plus or minus 35 athletes that they have already qualified,” he said.

“It is a big number compared to other countries. So, for that, we are very excited because we know very well that most of those athletes that have qualified are quality.

“From our side, we are saying we are just waiting for that day to come because we spoke to some of these athletes, most of them are overseas. We are crossing our fingers to say they can do very well if we can get plus or minus three medals or four, they would have done well.

“They have shown in the Diamond League and all over the world that we are getting somewhere, especially these youngsters that are coming right now.”