By Thathe Msimango
Wandile Ndawo thinks his victory will open more doors for him.
Ndawo from KwaMaphumulo is the first KwaZulu-Natal-born athlete to be crowned a national champion over the 20 km distance when dispatching a strong field on Saturday in Cape Town.
He set a new personal best of 1:37:19 on Saturday in Cape Town.
The 22-year-old old athlete from Orcas Academy said he is happy to finally win a national title.
“This is something I have dreamt of especially after I dominated in my province,” he told Scrolla.Africa.
“To hear that I’m the first athlete from my province to get a national title over the distance excites me. It will take time for me to get used to it. This is one of my career achievements.”
This is only the second time that Ndawo has represented his province. He got into walking because he was struggling with running injuries.
“I was a good middle- and long distance runner. I specialised in the 10 km and 21 km on the road until injuries sidelined me,” said Ndawo.
“Then I decided that I would walk as part of the healing process till I realised that I can be competitive. Since then I fell in love with the sport too much.”
Ndawo, who claimed eighth position in last year’s championship over the 20 km, believes this victory will open doors for him.
“I nearly pulled out of the race because my shoes were old and my feet were hurting badly. If I can get someone to sponsor me with running gear I would appreciate it. It would assist me to perform better,” he said.
Ndawo is coached by multiple Comrades Marathon gold medalist Prodigal Khumalo.
Picture above: Wandile Ndawo
Image source: ORCAS Academy
