Van Zyl dominated the 10km race, claiming gold at the Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, in a time of 34min 09sec. ‘I didn’t really have a plan today, I just wanted to run fast,’ said a happy Van Zyl.

‘Although I led from the start, I knew that the other runners weren’t far behind, so I couldn’t slack down. The route wasn’t fast and flat as expected, but the vibe was great and the event was well organised. I had a great race.

‘A month ago, having come back from injury, I didn’t think that I’d be running this time again soon. I’m impressed with my performance and of course it’s always nice to win.’

Glenrose Xaba came in second, while Maria Shai finished third.

RESULTS
Johannesburg
1 Irvette van Zyl 34min 09sec, 2 Glenrose Xaba 34:37, 3 Maria Shai 36:08, 4 Cornelia Joubert 36:37, 5 Christine Kalmer 37:26, 6 Nqobile Thobile Vilakazi 38:14, 7 Katy van Meter 38:24, 8 Yolande Maclean 38:57, 9 Maria Vilakazi 39:09, 10 Judy Bird 39:35