Curro Athletes shining at the ASA Championships.

The Germiston Athletics Stadium crackled with promise this past weekend as the ASA Age Group Championships ended after three days of fierce competition. Records fell, relay batons flew, and individual brilliance lit up the U16, U18, U20 and U23 categories. Among those who shone brightest were Tiisetso Malungane, who swept the U18 middle-distance events and came within seconds of a 44-year-old national record, and Bintou Camara, who was electric in the U16 sprints, claiming double gold. Running through it all, quietly but forcefully, was an unmistakable thread: Curro.

‘This weekend reflected what we have been building at Curro. To see our athletes competing and winning across multiple provinces, age groups, and disciplines – and doing so at a national level – is exactly what our athletics programme is designed to produce,’ said Cindy van der Merwe, Curro Sport Portfolio Manager.

The headline performance of the championships belonged to Matodzi Ndou. The Curro Hazeldean alumnus stormed around the track in 48.64 seconds to break the U20 men’s 400m hurdles national record, slicing 0.09 off the 48.73 mark that former world U20 champion Sokwakhana Zazini had held since 2019. Competing for Athletics Gauteng North, Ndou claimed gold and, in doing so, announced himself as one of the most exciting young hurdlers in the country.

While Ndou captured the headlines on the track, the women’s sprint events produced a performance of equal brilliance. Sarah Reed form Curro Hillcrest delivered what many described as the performance of the weekend when she clocked 23.20 seconds in the U18 200m heats, the fastest time across all age groups during the entire championships, including the U23 women’s final. Reed went on to take gold in the U18 200m final in 23.41 seconds, reinforcing her status as South Africa’s premier junior sprinter. Her heat time also elevates her to World Number 2 in the U18 200m rankings, placing her on the global stage.

The championships also highlighted Curro’s strength beyond the sprints. Tiisetso Malungane of Curro Hazeldean delivered a performance to remember, with the 16-year-old sweeping gold in both the U18 800m and 1500m. In the 1500m, he stopped the clock at 3:45.82, coming within three seconds of a South African youth record that has stood for 44 years. It was the kind of performance that signals a middle-distance runner only just getting started. His results also secured qualification for the World Championships in Oregon, USA later this year, while his times ranked him as the fastest athlete across the entire championships.

Tinyiko Ndala, also an alumnus of Curro Hazeldean, produced a commanding individual performance over the weekend, winning both the U23 women’s 800m and the 1500m, a gruelling double that speaks to exceptional fitness and raw talent.

Bintou Camara of Curro Hazeldean was perhaps the most explosive presence in the U16 women’s events all weekend. The young sprinter was untouchable in the 100m and 200m, claiming gold in both and leaving little doubt about her status as the standout U16 sprinter at the championships. Her teammate Keriana Govender added silver in the 100m, making it a Curro Hazeldean one-two. Ndou, Reed, Malungane and Ndala were not alone in their excellence, as the championships saw a remarkable spread of gold medals and top eight finishes from Curro athletes across multiple schools and provinces.

Matimba Baloyi claimed gold in the U18 men’s 400m hurdles, while Mantle Tshelana swept the U16 men’s 800m gold and added a bronze in the 1500m. On the field, Michaela Spocter of Meridian Pinehurst soared to U20 women’s high jump gold, her winning performance drawing admiring glances from coaches and selectors in attendance.

The depth of Curro’s representation extended beyond the podium. Bradley Maponyane reached the U23 men’s 200m and 400m finals, finishing fourth in both. Tshepo Tyantini claimed silver in the U23 men’s 100m and bronze in the 200m. Mukhona Manavhela had a strong championship in the U20 men’s events, claiming gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m. Amogelang Motlatle added a bronze in the U20 women’s 100m hurdles, while Miche van Staden of Curro Durbanville reached the podium with a bronze in the U20 women’s 200m.

The ASA Age Group Championships have long served as a proving ground for South Africa’s future senior internationals, and the 2026 edition was no different. With the World Junior Championships in Oregon later this year on the horizon, several Curro athletes, including Ndou, Reed Manavhela and Malungane will now set their sights on international qualification.

‘The breadth and quality of our representation across multiple provinces, schools, age groups and disciplines this weekend speaks to something deliberate: an environment that nurtures athletic potential alongside academic development, and which increasingly produces athletes who compete, and win, at the very highest levels of junior sport in South Africa. Our current athletes and alumni claimed 12 individual gold medals, 5 individual silver medals, and a further 8 individual bronze medals across the three-day championships,’ concluded van der Merwe.