Tshepo Tshite earns late reprieve to book spot in 1 500m final at World Athletics Champs

Tshepo Tshite faced an anxious wait to confirm his place in the 1 500m final of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday, eventually securing his spot in Wednesday’s medal contest with a time of 3:36.93.

The national record holder’s performance in finishing sixth was the highlight of Day 3 for Team South African, which is still searching for its first podium of the championships.

Tshite had spoken about the need for patience after qualifying for the semi-final with another sixth-place finish in his heat on Sunday.

“I was trying by all means to be as patient as possible. That’s why I didn’t try to make a move early. But remember, it’s like rolling a dice. Sometimes you are going to win and sometimes you won’t get it right. Everyone’s mentality is about trying to be patient and to kick in the right moment,” he said in a post-race interview.

“I used to get fatigued at championships but this year I tried to balance my mileage. After you get the mileage right the most important thing is not how fast you can run, it’s about how consistent you can be. And I think being consistent, that’s what’s needed at these championships.”

The initial results from the 1 500m semi-final suggested Tshite had mistimed his kick again in the final charge for the line, after he finished in seventh and outside the qualification spots. But American Cole Hocker was disqualified after an appeal and Tshite was promoted to sixth and into the final.

Distance runner Elroy Gelant finished in 33rd place in the men’s marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday.

South African distance runner Gelant could only manage a disappointing 33rd-place finish in the men’s marathon in a time of 2:16:32. The race was won with a dramatic late burst by Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania in a time of 2:09:48, as he pipped Amanal Petros of Germany at the line.

Marione Fourie crashed out of her 100m hurdles semi-final. Sabelo Dhlamini just missed out on qualification after finishing fifth in his heat in the men’s 400m hurdles in a time of 49.50. Rogail Joseph could only manage seventh place in her heat in the women’s 400m hurdles.

There was also disappointment for John Adesola and Mondray Bernard in the men’s 110m hurdles heats.