By Thathe Msimango
Last year Maxi Chaumeton became the country’s first athlete to dip under the 28-minute mark on home soil as he clocked a personal best time of 27:58 during the Durban 10 km race.
And this year, says the South African athlete, he is determined to produce better performances.
His long-distance achievement left the athletics fraternity applauding his talent, especially given that he is known as a 1,500 m specialist.
The 22-year-old University of Johannesburg graduate ended last year on a high note by coming third in the BoClassic 10 km race in Italy on 31 December.
He led the race for nearly 9 km, but his lack of experience in racing overseas came into play.
“I think people can still expect more good performances from me. My youth is on my side, so I must take all the opportunities I get,” Chaumeton told Scrolla.Africa.
“The plan in all races is to win at all costs. My strategy is to attack and lead as soon as the gun goes off. In Italy, I thought the race was in the bag, but those guys showed their experience in the closing stages.”
With his 10 km personal best time 20 seconds shy of Stephen Mokoka’s national record of 27:38, the youngster, who is coached by the legendary Hendrick Ramaala, is positive he can smash the record.
“I think records are every athlete’s dream, and I have that mentality. Whether it is a South African record or a world record, nothing would please me more than smashing it,” he said.
“The main focus is to run faster and hope one day I can dip under 27 minutes.”
Pictured above: Maxi Chaumeton
Image source: Supplied
