Wayde van Niekerk (Kovsies) will surely know that he is in for a serious battle against Tlotliso Gift Leotlela, one of the best youth and junior sprinters the country has ever produced.

Bloemfontein pride and world record holder in the 400m (43,03), Van Niekerk will go down in his blocks at the Mangaung Athletic Stadium at 18h30 against Leotlela who would love to add to his already impressive resume that he has beaten a world record holder, as well.  

Leotlela, who turns only 19 this year (12 May) rocked the sprinting world in the youth age group (u.18) in 2015 when he was crowned Commonwealth Youth Champion in the 100m in a blistering time of 10,20. At the time, Leotlela stopped the watches a mere hundredth of a second shy of the world youth best of 10.19 recorded by Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu in 2012.

Last year, Leotlela proved his BMT (Big Match Temperament) and went one better as far as major championships medals are concerned. At the biggest stage for junior athletes, the world junior championships (Poland), Leotlela once again showed his calibre and won the silver medal in the 200m in a lightning fast 20,59 - this after he was placed in a more than respectable fourth in the final of the 100m.

Leotlela boasts a best time of 10,20 which he nailed in Apia (Samoa) last year. This is the second fastest a junior could ever achieve in the 100m in SA. Akani Simbine, the SA senior record holder (9,89) in the 100m is the owner of the SA junior record (10,19) as well, but only a hundredth of a second faster than Leotlela’s best.

The question whether it is Van Niekerk or Leotlela’s form in the 100m which is superior currently, will be answered tonight. A tip for sports gamblers is the 10,24 (100m) Van Niekerk ran in Bloemfontein recently and Leotlela’s 20,50 in the 200m at the Varsity Cup meeting in Potchefstroom on Monday. Van Niekerk’s best in the 100m is 9,98 which he recorded early in the season of 2016.

If there is one man who could upset the works in the 100m, it is Emile Erasmus (Tuks) who possesses a quick personal best of 10,21.

The Olympic Games silver medallist, Luvo Manyonga will most probably have spectators on the edge of their seats tonight. He will get his world championships campaign on the go in the men's long jump. His personal best (8,48m) is only two centimetres short of Khotso Mokoena’s SA record of 8,50m. Dylon Cotter, who claims a career best of 8.16m (2016), should be Manyonga’s closest rival and an upset may well be on the cards.

With Manyonga in the mix, it may serve as a great motivation for the up and coming local lad, Jovan van Vuuren (Kovsies) to get closer to the eight meters mark. He upped his personal best recently in Bloemfontein to 7,77m.

The national champion, Alyssa Conley should cross the line ahead of her rivals in the 100m. Conley, a Rio Olympics competitor (2016) will clash American speedster, Taylor Monae Jobodwana who won the 200m event at the first Speed Series meeting in Durban last week.

The Kovsies 800m Olympics semi-finalist, Rynardt van Rensburg will move out of his comfort zone and contest the seldom run mile event, whilst SA’s foremost 100m-hurdles lady, Rikenette Steenkamp (Tuks), will want to underline her status as the best woman in the 100m hurdles against crackerjack challengers, Claudia Heunis (Tuks) and the City of Roses own Maryke Brits (Kovsies).