Judging by her performance at the National Championships she has a good chance to qualify for the final, and as it is often said, once you're in a final, anything can happen. So it won't be a surprise if she wins a medal in the 800 m.

 

At the South African Junior and Youth Championships in Germiston she won the under-18 girls' 800 m race, but it was at the Senior Championships in Stellenbosch that Kellerman really showed she is not intimidated by older, more experienced athletes. She finished second in the 800 m final in a personal best time of 2:05.75. The legendary Caster Semenya was the only athlete to beat her.

 

Kellerman was not in the least fazed by being outrun by one of the legends of South African athletics.

 

'I consider Caster as one of my role models. There is certainly no better learning experience than racing against her. What I admire most about Caster is that she remains humble in spite of what she has achieved.'

 

Kellerman considers winning the 800 m at the South African Championships in Polokwane in 2014 as her breakthrough race. She then realised that she may have the makings of a champion.

It was also very special for her to have represented South Africa at the IAAF Youth World Championships in Columbia last year.

 

The Grade 11 learner from Hoërskool Monument has her mind set on representing South Africa at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. If everything goes according to plan, she hopes to make her senior international debut in 2018.