Arthur Jantjies shines at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon

THERE ARE FEW THINGS more exciting in sports than the sight of a newcomer shining brightest in a major event. It is even more delightful when it happens in the presence of accomplished competitors and former winners.

Arthur Jantjies played that role to perfection at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, powered by BYD, in Cape Town this morning. The novice — coached by revered John Hamlett of Pan African Resources — won in a time of 3:09:25.

A two-time gold medallist in the Two Oceans Half Marathon, the man from Hopetown in the Northern Cape incredibly outsprinted 2024 champion Onalenna Khonkhobe of Nedbank Running Club in the final four kilometres for a life-changing win that sees him swell his bank balance by a massive R380,000.

In a field teeming with renowned champions such as Khonkhobe himself, title holder Joseph Seutloali, the legendary Bongmusa Mthembu, and Lesotho stars such as Teboho Nosi and Lebenya Nkoka, few considered Jantjies a potential winner.

That he finished sixth at the 50-km City to City marathon last year did not even seem to count for much; only the discerning ultra follower would have given him a chance, simply because he was coached by Hamlett.

He stuck to the lead group while Zimbabwean Blessing Waison and Hollywood Athletics Club’s Tshepo Ramashamole set the pace from the onset, until they were hauled in by the bunch after Constantia Nek.

With Ramashamole dropped, the trio of 2025 champion Seutloali, Khonkhobe, and Jantjies left Waison in their wake.

The smart money would definitely have been on the former champions to reign, but Seutloali struggled and was spat out so convincingly that he did not even make it into the top ten. Again, you would not have found many bets on Jantjies to beat Khonkhobe, and when the man who always proclaimed races ‘My Show’ surged ahead, it looked as though the race was won.

But Jantjies stayed the course, watching Khonkhobe closely from the other side of the road, waiting to pounce. And pounce he did; Jantjies used his power on an incline at about 53 km to Khonkhobe’s shock, and he never looked back as he raced to a victory made in the quaint, high-altitude town of Dullstroom that Hamlett uses to forge ultra champions.

“I was not surprised at all because the coaching went well. We spent eight weeks at Dullstroom and I put the work in; this was just a fun run, as the coach said,” Jantjies told the TV reporter at the finish line. “I can’t explain this moment; it is glorious, and I thank God, my coach, and the seconders.”

Khonkhobe finished second, while Waison bravely hung on to complete the podium on his ultra-marathon debut.

It was ‘King Arthur’ that everyone was raving about, though. All hail the new Two Oceans Marathon King: Arthur Jantjies.