Chris Mhlanga won a sprint finish in the men's race and Tayla Kavanagh dominated the women's event at the ASA 10km Championships, which was incorporated in the Northridge Mall Marathon in Mangaung on Saturday.
Locked in a tight battle in the close stages of a race which were held in wet conditions, Mhlanga held on for a narrow victory, securing his first national title in the colours of Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) in 29:00.
He was pushed all the way to the line by 20-year-old Musawenkosi Mnisi, representing Athletics Gauteng North (AGN), who also finished in 29:00.
Though he lost some ground in the closing stages, ultra-distance runner Onalenna Khonkhobe flaunted his versatility by grabbing the bronze medal in 29:07 for Athletics Central North West (ACNW).
"It was a bit of a hard race, especially with all the sharp turns on the route and the mud because the roads were wet. It was quite challenging," said Mhlanga, who is preparing to represent South Africa at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in January.
"I wasn't expecting such a close race. I thought there would be a huge gap because of the hills, and I expected one of the guys to be in front."
CLOSING 2025 OUT IN STYLE
Kavanagh lived up to the hype as the pre-race favourite in the women's contest, with the in-form athlete winning gold for KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA) in 33:05.
Finishing more than a minute behind her, Karabo Mailula earned the silver medal for the second year in a row, taking second place in 34:20.
Her AGN teammate Elizabeth Hutamo ended third in 34:59 to take the bottom step on the podium.
Having enjoyed a breakthrough season over the 10km distance, climbing to fourth place in the all-time SA rankings and dipping under 32 minutes on two occasions, Kavanagh said she was delighted to close out her 2025 campaign in style.
"I'm really thrilled with how today's race went. The goal was to take the win today. That was the aim to end the year, so I was just really pleased with how I executed the race and come away with the win," Kavanagh said.
"The rain made the roads a little bit slippery, so on the corners you had to be cautious and my hands went out every now and then just to find my balance. But yesterday we had a particularly hot day here (in Mangaung), so I was quite pleased that today was a bit cooler. I do prefer cooler conditions, so I would say the conditions were pretty good."
